Rescuers recover bodies of 3 crew on crashed helicopter

Hundreds of soldiers, militiamen and forest rangers were mobilized for the search in the province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, said Senior Lieutenant Colonel Tran Van Cu, head of the Military Command of Tan Thanh District.

The crash site along with the bodies of the three crewmembers, identified as Captain Duong Le Minh and Lieutenants Dang Dinh Duy and Nguyen Van Tung, were located at approximately 11:30 a.m. on October 19 at an altitude of 500 metres above sea level.

The Eurocopter EC 130 lost contact shortly after taking off October 18, the military previously said in a statement, adding a pilot and two trainees were on board the helicopter.

Three crashes involving military planes that killed 11 people have been reported within the past four months.