Rescuers in Nepal have just come upon the site of the missing U.S. Marine helicopter with little expectation of any survivors, finding only wreckage.
U.S. officials joined the Nepalese on Friday and confirmed that the wreckage was, in fact, the UH-1Y Huey from Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469, The Wall Street Journal reports. They found the helicopter about 15 miles north of where it was last spotted in Charikot delivering rice and tarps—before radio contact cut out.
Out of the six U.S. Marines and two soldiers from Nepal onboard the helicopter, which was tasked with a relief mission, three charred bodies have pulled from the crash site. No further details about the nationality of the victims were available.
“The wreckage of the helicopter was found in pieces and there are no chances of any survivors,” Nepal’s Defense Secretary Iswori Poudyal said, according to AP.
According to authorities in Nepal, Tuesday’s earthquake killed 117 people and injured 2,872 others, following the first quake a couple of weeks prior which killed 8,000.
One false alarm had been sounded previously, and rough terrain made it difficult to properly conduct the search. Rescue workers first thought they had spotted the downed chopper, but in fact, it was simply vehicles crushed by a landslide. (RELATED: Missing Helicopter Carrying 6 Marines Reportedly Spotted, Authorities Rushing To Site)
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