The marine helicopter went missing Tuesday evening as it was delivering earthquake aid near Charikot, Nepal, according to a spokesman for the US Pacific Command. The team had been working in the vicinity of Charikot, a village that had been hit especially hard in the first earthquake that struck late last month.
“A UH-1Y Huey with, Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469 in support of Joint Task Force 505 was declared missing while supporting Operation Sahayogi Haat,” U.S. Navy Capt. Chris Sims told CNN in a statement Tuesday. Sahayogi Haat means “Helping Hand.”
A nearby Indian helicopter pilot says he heard chatter from the missing marine helicopter about a possible fuel problem. The Huey had just dropped off a load of supplies and was carrying tarps and rice, headed to a second location when contact was lost.
There are about 300 military personnel assigned to the task-force working in Nepal to get aid and assistance to the Nepalese. A second earthquake struck the nation of Nepal on Tuesday, spreading more fear and misery. Dozens of people were killed in this latest earthquake.
Tuesday’s 7.3 magnitude quake was centered between Kathmandu and Mt. Everest, striking the hardest in the foothills of the Himalayas and causing a number of landslides. The capitol did not go untouched as thousands of people flooded the streets in terror.
Authorities are saying the death toll now stands at 37 people dead and 1,100 injured in this latest quake, but the numbers can still rise.
