KATHMANDU, Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. A US Marine Corps helicopter with six US Marines and two Nepalese soldiers on board has gone missing during relief work in earthquake-hit Nepal, says US Pacific Command.
US Navy Capt Chris Sims said the UH-1 Huey military aircraft was conducting disaster relief operations on Tuesday near Charikot, Nepal.
The helicopter – part of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469 – had just dropped off supplies and was heading to another destination, officials said.
Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steven Warren said radio chatter about a fuel problem was picked up from the helicopter crew before the aircraft went missing.
He said it is hoped the helicopter could have made a safe emergency landing as a US aerial search before nightfall did not find any trace of smoke or a crash site.
No beacon signal has been detected so far from the helicopter crew, officials said.
The Nepalese army is conducting a search on the ground, but the air search has been called off until daylight on Wednesday.
Charikot was one of the villages hardest hit by a 7.3-magnitude quake on Tuesday which killed several dozen people and injured more than 1,000.
The tremor was the worst aftershock since a 7.8-magnitude earthquake levelled parts of the country last month, killing at least 8,000 people and injuring more than 17,000.
About 300 US military troops have deployed to support the relief effort in Nepal.
Credit: Sky News
