1 killed, 4 missing in chopper crash

One maritime police officer was killed and four others were missing off Jeju Island after a maritime police helicopter crashed into the sea Wednesday night.

The police have mobilized a search plane, eight patrol vessels and two Navy vessels to collect the remains of the chopper and the bodies of the missing passengers.

According to the Jeju Coast Guard, the helicopter, AW-139, lost contact with headquarters on Wednesday 8:20 p.m. while carrying Constable Lee Yu-jin on its way to Jeju Airport. Lee reportedly was suffering from severe head and stomach pains and needed professional care.

On Thursday morning the search party found the body of Lee and some remains of the helicopter 116 kilometers west of Jeju City, but the other four victims, including police lieutenant Lee Byeong-hoon, remain missing.

The cause of the accident has not been verified yet, but Song Na-taek, head of the Jeju Coast Guard, said the weather conditions were good at the time of the accident.

“Lee Byeong-hoon is a very skilled pilot. He had visited Italy to master the chopper and he was also seasoned in piloting it,” he said.

He added that the exact cause will be known only when all of the remains of the chopper have been collected.

The AW-139, manufactured by Italian arms maker AgustaWestland, specializes in paramedic operations. Equipped with cutting edge medical facilities, the helicopter was stationed at Jeju on Monday, two days before the accident.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)