[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] The Coast Guard is making every effort to search for the missing persons from the helicopter that crashed off Marado, Jeju, with the help of a naval vessel.
On the 9th, the Jeju Regional Coast Guard announced that, with the assistance of a naval vessel, they are searching for the missing mechanic, Corporal Cha Mo (42), using the Surface Supplied Diving System (SSDS) technique. They plan to conduct searches at great depths using the SSDS method. The SSDS technique involves underwater activities such as rescue operations while receiving air supply from outside the water.
They also plan to salvage the fuselage in the future. The Coast Guard stated that a naval deep-sea diver will be deployed to the seabed to check if there are any missing persons inside the helicopter fuselage before lifting it.
Additionally, considering the possibility of the missing drifting at sea, resources have been deployed to conduct search operations. Currently deployed resources include five Coast Guard patrol vessels, three naval warships, two Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries fishery management vessels, and four aircraft (two Coast Guard, one Air Force, one Navy). The Coast Guard conducted night searches by firing 41 flares from late afternoon the previous day until early morning but failed to find the missing persons.
At around 1:32 a.m. the previous day, a helicopter (S-92) belonging to the Southern Sea Coast Guard Aviation Unit crashed approximately 370 km southwest off Marado, Daejeong-eup, Seogwipo-si, Jeju. Among the four crew members on board, the co-pilot and the electronic warfare operator died in the accident, and the pilot was injured.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
