The search for three missing people after a helicopter on a rescue mission crashed in South Korea’s southwestern waters entered its third day on Sunday, but no progress has been made so far, the Coast Guard and the Navy said.
The Coast Guard helicopter crashed in waters off Gageodo Island on Friday night, while trying to land near a seawall to carry out a mission to transport an emergency patient to an inland hospital. The accident left one dead and three others aboard the helicopter missing.
The Coast Guard and the Navy were searching for the helicopter and those unaccounted for at the accident scene, mobilizing a total of 33 ships and eight helicopters. Eight fishing boats also joined the operation.
The rescue authorities planned to put an unmanned undersea vehicle into operation as it allegedly found an object presumed to be the helicopter in waters some 3 kilometers south of the Gageodo port. But strong waves and the depth of the sea have hampered the plan.
A thick sea fog reported in the area on Friday may have caused the accident, with an investigation into what exactly happened currently underway, according to the authorities. (Yonhap)
