SKorean chopper crew missing after allied naval drill

By Alex Jensen

SEOUL

South Korean search efforts continued Tuesday for three helicopter crew members who went missing a day earlier during a naval drill with the United States.

Their chopper crashed close to 9 p.m. (1200GMT) in waters around 50 kilometers (31 miles) east of the peninsula, where allied vessels and aircraft had been holding the special exercise amid escalating North Korean missile threats.

A night search had turned up Lynx helicopter debris and a pilot’s helmet, according to a South Korean Navy spokesperson, who was quoted by local news agency Yonhap as revealing that the crash site was a “bit away” from the North-South maritime border.

With no further sign of the missing crew members, an investigation is also underway into the cause of the crash that occurred in satisfactory weather conditions.

The ill-fated aircraft, over 30 years old, apparently sent out four Mayday signals -- in the meantime, South Korea has grounded its other Lynx choppers.

North Korea carried out its most powerful nuclear test to date earlier this month, and has vowed to continue developing missiles to balance what Pyongyang perceives as American aggression in the region with nearly 30,000 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea alone.

But the North is barred from such technology under multiple United Nations resolutions, and is set to be hit with even stronger sanctions than those imposed by the UN Security Council earlier this year.

By Alex Jensen

SEOUL

South Korean search efforts continued Tuesday for three helicopter crew members who went missing a day earlier during a naval drill with the United States.

With no further sign of the missing crew members, an investigation is also underway into the cause of the crash that occurred in satisfactory weather conditions.

The ill-fated aircraft, over 30 years old, apparently sent out four Mayday signals -- in the meantime, South Korea has grounded its other Lynx choppers.