A Marine Corps helicopter assisting in the rescue and aid effort for Nepal is missing, the Pentagon confirmed.
The UH-1Y “Huey” copter went missing around 7 p.m. Tuesday Nepal time near the city of Charikot, while it was conducting humanitarian assistance.
Eight people were on board: six U.S. Marines and two Nepalese soldiers. The crew was dropping off supplies, including rice and tarps for earthquake survivors to build temporary shelters. It reached its first location and lost contact before reaching the second location.
Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren said an Indian helicopter was also in the air and possibly picked up communication that the Huey was having fuel problems.
Warren said no distress call was heard or beacon detected from the helicopter, providing some hope the crew could have landed in the region’s formidable terrain, which could be making it hard to get a signal out.
“We are hopeful there was no crash,” Warren said.
The helicopter is one of more than a dozen U.S. aircraft committed to assisting Nepal, which was devastated by 7.9 magnitude earthquake April 25 that killed an estimated 9,000 people and destroying much of Kathmandu’s historic center. Another 7.3 earthquake hit Nepal Tuesday, killing at least another 68 people and injuring hundreds.
The U.S. has committed three Hueys, four Ospreys, two C-130s cargo aircraft and four C-17 Globemasters, which have delivered more than 480 tons of food and supplies to assist thousands of Nepalese left homeless by the disaster.
The helicopter crew is part of the 300 U.S. military personnel who have been assigned to Operation “Sahayogi Haat” —Nepalese for “helping hand” to help the country recover.
The Ospreys searched for the missing helicopter at two locations before daylight ended. The Nepalese Army is still on foot looking for the downed helicopter.
