HCMC – A woman’s body was recovered today, April 6, 16 hours after a helicopter carrying a pilot and four local tourists crashed near Halong Bay in Quang Ninh Province.

The victim’s identity remains unknown.

Early morning, rescuers recovered the body of Colonel Chu Quang Minh, the pilot. He is the third victim found after the helicopter lost contact at around 5:15 p.m. on April 5.

So far, the bodies of four victims have been recovered. Now just one victim remains missing.

The prime minister has urged local authorities to speed up search and rescue  operations and investigate the cause of the crash.

The Bell 505 helicopter took off at 4:56 p.m. carrying four passengers, including Ho Ta Luc, 59; Nguyen Thi Hoi, 60; Ho Thi Oanh, 61; and Pham Thi Be, 65. The visitors came from the central city of Danang.

Two hours following the loss of contact, the authorities found the bodies of two people at 7:15 p.m.

Some 300 personnel and 31 vessels from the local armed forces and relevant agencies have been dispatched the crash site which lies between Halong Bay of Quang Ninh Province and Lan Ha Bay of Haiphong City.