New Delhi: Five people died in a helicopter crash in South Korea’s Yangyang on Sunday. The helicopter crashed near a Buddhist temple in Yangyang. Five people on board died on the spot. Said that the victims are being identified. Officials initially reported only two deaths. But later it was reported that five people died.
- The helicopter crashed into a mountain while monitoring a forest fire
- 4 people including the pilot have died as soon as they hit the mountain
- A rescue operation was started
Officials at the scene confirmed the deaths of a 71-year-old pilot and a 54-year-old mechanic. Officials said an S-58T helicopter chartered by the local governments of Yangyang, Sokcho and Goseong crashed on a mountain at about 10:50 a.m. while surveying the forest fire.
The helicopter, made by US helicopter maker Sikorsky, broke into pieces and burst into flames, but the fire is unlikely to have spread because it was largely extinguished, he said.
A fire official said, “We could see that two passengers had died inside the helicopter, but it was difficult to reach them. While the fire was being extinguished, there was a possibility of additional explosions.” One helicopter, 28 pieces of equipment and 114 personnel, including first responders, have been deployed. Relief and rescue operations are almost complete. Five deaths have been reported so far.