3 bodies found at crash scene of chopper near Dokdo islets

Rescue operations continue in waters near the Dokdo Islets, Saturday, where an emergency services helicopter carrying seven passengers crashed, Oct. 31. Yonhap

Rescue workers found three bodies Saturday, believed to be from among the people listed as missing from a helicopter that crashed near the Dokdo Islets in the East Sea.

The emergency services helicopter crashed Thursday night, a few minutes after it took off from Dokdo, with seven people on board, including an injured person from a fishing boat

The rescuers found the bodies and retrieved one of them in an underwater mission being conducted by the Republic of Korea Navy's submarine rescue ship Cheonghaejin.

On Friday, the Coast Guard said it had located part of the wrecked chopper and found a body believed to be one of the missing.

"We will continue our search and rescue operation with the Navy, focusing on an underwater mission," the Coast Guard said.

South Korean Navy's Cheonghaejin submarine rescue ship on Saturday searches for possible victims of the national fire agency's crashed helicopter on waters near Dokdo Island. Courtesy of Korea Coast Guard

The Cheonghaejin arrived at the scene Friday to join in night search operations for which 14 ships and four helicopters were mobilized.

"Using remotely operated underwater vehicles, the salvage ship will focus on locating the fuselage of the chopper and searching for those on board," the Coast Guard added.

A total of 18 ships, including five each from the Navy and Coast Guard, were dispatched to the scene to search areas in a 37-kilometer arc south of Dokdo.

"Based on the outcome of the search, we will cooperate with the Navy to consider reasonable measures to salvage the chopper and the missing people," the Coast Guard said.

When asked by reporters about the time needed to lift the wreckage from the seabed, maritime police said this depended on weather conditions.

Emergency services officials said they will prioritize support for the families of those missing.

"During a maintenance process, problems were not detected," the emergency services said, when asked if there were any signs of trouble before the helicopter took off. (Yonhap)