Senior Nepal Army (NA) officials termed the missing of the US chopper a 'mystery' as efforts to locate it with the help of four NA helicopters and three other US choppers have not yielded any results. "The incident is turning mysterious as the helicopter could not be traced even after a huge amount of military aviation was deployed in the various probable zones," said Nepal Army Spokesperson Brigadier General Jagadish Chandra Pokharel.Hundreds of NA ground personnel assisted the seven helicopters, including three NA choppers, in the search for the US aircraft that went missing with eight people on board.
"We have left no stone unturned to find the missing helicopter that was also carrying two NA personnel among others," Brigadier Pokharel added. The helicopter was delivering relief materials in Dolakha, the district hit hardest by the second biggest quake Tuesday in the continuing series of quakes and aftershock. Dolakha I contiguous with the Chinese border.
According to a Home Ministry official, the helicopter is thought to have lost radio contact after it ran into some fuel problem, but they declined to elaborate. Various political party leaders and government officials on Wednesday made conflicting remarks concerning the missing aircraft, and resorted to vague wording.
"Report says missing US chopper with crew safe in Singati Power Sub Station in Dolakha and the chopper could not fly due to landslides," tweeted Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat on Wednesday evening. Prem Prasad Lamichanne, CDO of Dolakha, earlier on Wednesday claimed that the chopper had been located but later, in the evening, he said the search was still continuing till late evening on Wednesday.
"The helicopter was located at the premises of an under-construction sub-station of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA," Deputy Executive Director of NEA Sher Singh Bhat had said during the day.
Some NA official requesting anonymity said the helicopter had come down on a riverside and could not take off again due to some 'problem'.
The US chopper had taken off immediately after a fresh tremor of a 6.8 magnitude hit and it went missing near Sunkhani area of Dolakha. The quake with its epicenter between Sindhupalchowk and Dolakha caused more than 76 deaths and damaged already weakened structures.
Nepal Army search-and-rescue teams were dispatched promptly on foot to Lapilang, Lamidanda, Sunkhani, Kshetrapa and Juvu in Dolakha along with the last known location of missing helicopter, according to the NA Directorate of Public Relations.
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