Two dead after helicopter crashes into northern Vietnam sea

A helicopter crashed into the sea off the coast of Hai Phong City and Quang Ninh province on Wednesday afternoon, killing at least two people.

The Bell 505 helicopter was owned and operated by the Northern Vietnam Helicopter Company, which is part of the Vietnam Helicopter Corporation (Brigade 18). Colonel Chu Quang Minh was flying four Vietnamese tourists on a sightseeing tour of Ha Long Bay.

The chopper took off at 4:56 p.m, and lost contact at 5:15 p.m. The Northern Vietnam Helicopter Company is coordinating with the Border Guard and local military forces on a search and rescue operation.

At 7:18 p.m, the forces recovered two bodies and debris suspected to be from the helicopter that washed up on shore. The search continues for the remaining missing people.

The Bell 505 Jet Ranger X is a light helicopter developed by the U.S. Bell Helicopter Corporation, and was first introduced at the 2013 Paris Air Show.

The aircraft has five seats and can accommodate up to four guests. The maximum flight speed is 232 km/h, with a top altitude of 5,600 m.

The Bell 505 is widely used in tourism, mainly for sightseeing flights.

This aircraft was added to the fleet serving Ha Long Bay helicopter tours in 2019.