All bodies recovered from Peru chopper crash site

CUSCO, Peru (Yonhap News) ― Peruvian rescue officials said Sunday they have recovered the bodies of all 14 people killed in a helicopter crash last week, including those of eight South Koreans.

The wreckage of the ill-fated helicopter was discovered Saturday on Mama Rosa mountain at about 4,950 meters above sea level near Coline in southern Peru.

The chopper had gone missing Wednesday while returning from a trip to a potential site for a hydropower plant near Mazuco in southeastern Peru. The South Koreans on board were employees of Samsung C&T, the Korea Water Resources Corp., the Korea Engineering Consultants Corp. and Seoyeong Engineering. The victims also included three Peruvians, one Dutchman, one Swede and one Czech.

A total of 50 rescue officials, including professionals, the police and the military, entered the site of the wreckage Sunday morning and recovered 13 of the bodies.

The final body was found after searching for two to three more hours, the officials said.

Local police said they will transfer the bodies by car to a morgue in the nearby city of Ocongate, about four hours away.

There, Peruvian officials said they will identify the victims with the help of forensic scientists and may ask for DNA samples from the victims’ family members. The South Korean victims’ families are scheduled to arrive later in the day.

The bodies of the South Koreans may later be flown to the Peruvian capital Lima after consultations with the South Korean Embassy there, officials said.