PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Jul 14, 2014,
Two generals who led the helicopter unit of Cambodia's air force were killed in a crash Monday, along with two pilots, police said. Defense Minister Tea Banh, who rushed to the crash site in a muddy pond south of the capital, said a fifth person on the chopper was seriously injured.
Gen. Um Phy, deputy chief of staff of Cambodia's air force, confirmed the casualty count and said the aircraft was a Chinese-made Z-9 helicopter. Authorities had previously said five people were killed.
It was not immediately clear what caused the accident, which police said was a training mission for new pilots. More than six hours after the morning crash, only two bodies had been recovered, and divers were still looking for the other two.
Two of the dead men were a major general and a brigadier general, Phnom Penh Deputy Police Chief Chuon Narin said. An incident report filed by police at the scene said the generals were the commander and deputy commander of the helicopter unit, and the other two men were pilots. Military officials confirmed the men's ranks, but not their positions. The survivor was not identified.
The chopper went down about 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of Phnom Penh, sinking in a muddy pond surrounded by rural land and rice fields.
Defense Ministry Secretary of State Moeung Samphan said 300 military personnel were sent to take part in the recovery operation.
Chhay Bunna, chief of police at Phnom Penh's nearby international airport, said the flight was a training mission for new pilots. Tea Banh said the area where the crash took place has been used for training for several years without any previous accidents.
A witness said she saw helicopters flying the same route almost every day, but the doomed flight seemed to be flying lower than usual, almost hitting her house.
Ath Neang, 48, who lives about 15 meters (yards) from the pond, said that as one of the craft's rotor blades hit the bank of the pond, one man jumped out into the water. At about the same time, she heard what sounded like an explosion from the aircraft, which then sank.
Authorities in Cambodia say a military helicopter has crashed, killing four people on board.
PHNOM PENH: Four Cambodian soldiers died and one was injured in a helicopter crash during military training on the outskirts of the capital on Monday, officials said. The chopper exploded in mid-air at around 9.15 am (0215 GMT) before crashing into a water-filled quarry in Prey Sar village, around 10 kilometres from downtown Phnom Penh, police said.
"We now know that five soldiers were on board the helicopter. Four were killed and one was injured," Defence Minister Tea Banh told reporters at the crash site, revising an earlier death toll of five. A 300-strong rescue team comprised of police, soldiers and divers searched for bodies at the quarry where an investigation into the cause of the accident is underway, said a reporter at the scene.
"It appears that the helicopter exploded in the air before it crashed," military police spokesman Kheng Tito said, adding the crash could have been caused by a technical issue or pilot error. Soldiers were seen retrieving floating segments of the wreck, which was fully submerged in the water, but no bodies had been recovered. Two military generals -- including the commander of the air force's helicopter unit -- were among the dead, Tito said.
Chuon Narin, Phnom Penh's deputy police chief, also said the chopper exploded before it crashed. The surviving soldier is being treated for injuries at a hospital in the capital, he added. The helicopter was one of 12 Z-9 choppers Cambodia bought from China last year to boost its military capacity.
In 2008 Cambodia's chief policeman Hok Lundy was killed in a helicopter crash along with the then deputy army commander and two pilots when their chopper went down in bad weather.
- Agencies/rw
1 comment:
I surely hope these are all corrupted RCAF generals. It would had been icing on a cake if these were CPP/Youn units that responsible of killing our Khmer brothers and sisters. Usually Cambodian military commanders are responsible for oppression of our peoples. They never do their jobs of protecting it's citizen and territories. These military units are preventing Khmer youths of inspecting our eastern borders while Youn are stealing our lands.
I never feel sorry for any Cambodian military personals death since Hun Sen and Youn's agents was in controled. I only cried and mourned for Cambodian Resistance fighters in the 80's while fighting CPP/Youn forces along Thai border. I also supported and mourned the death of Lon Nol soldiers. These were the real Khmer nationalist. Currently most Cambodian military personals are controlled by Youn's agents or CPP Vietnamese puppet. When CNRP take powers and controls Khmer armed forces then I support our military.
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