Update: Royal Cambodia Armed Force (RCAF) spokesperson Thong Solimo, said on Wednesday that the Ministry of National Defense increased the number of troops to 876 from various units to search for the missing helicopter and two officers in Pursat province.
To date, the search has not produced any specific results regarding the location of the helicopter or the condition of the two officers.
He said the geographical factors in the area were proving too complicated, including unfavorable weather, continued rain, fog and dense forest.
He added that 380 troops from the 5th Military Region were initially deployed for the operation on July 13. But with no clues obtained from the search over the past four days, another 496 troops were drafted from coalition forces and deployed to the search. This brought the total to 876, increasing the scope of the operation.
Noted: This article was updated at 11:30 am on July 17, 2024, following the comment by the Royal Cambodia Armed Force (RCAF) spokesperson.
Royal Cambodia Armed Force (RCAF) official said the National Defense Ministry has demarcated a search and rescue area covering 50 square kilometers where the Z-9 helicopter, piloted by two military officers, went missing on the morning of July 12, 2024.
RCAF spokesperson Thong Solimo told CamboJA News on Monday that the helicopter disappeared from the radar while training over the Cardamom Mountain area on the border of Pursat and Koh Kong.
Solimo did not specify the number of personnel involved in the search and rescue operation or the method of exploration, but confirmed that the names of the missing officers were Sun Pla and Kheng Chaiyuth.
After obtaining information about the disappearance, Solimo said the ministry-led operation team mapped out the search area. There has not been any sign of the helicopter as of Monday afternoon, nearly three days into its disappearance as the team scoured the area.
The disappearance might have occurred due to unfavorable weather, he added.
According to the weather forecast by the Ministry of Water Resource and Meteorology on July 12, there was a 20 percent chance of rain and thunderstorm with gusts in Cardamom Mountain and the highlands in the surrounding provinces.
In July 2014, a similar Z-9 military helicopter crashed during a rescue exercise on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, killing four military officers.
A local publication reported that Cambodia received 12 Harbin Z-9 military utility helicopters from China, marked by a handover ceremony at an air force base outside of Phnom Penh in 2013. The helicopter is said to be a Chinese version of a French design, built for humanitarian missions and rescue work during natural disasters.
Asked if the ministry would conduct a technical check on the Z-9s, as two helicopter crashes involved the same model, Solimo said they have not thought about it yet because search and rescue is ongoing and they have not determined the cause of the disappearance.
During his speech at the 31st anniversary of the establishment of the National Gendarmerie on Sunday, National Defense Minster Tea Seiha said helicopter crashes do not only happen in Cambodia but also in countries with modern technology.
“I ask in this ceremony if other countries have no experience of a helicopter crash? They have far more modern helicopters than us, but they still [experience] helicopter crashes and their leader rides in them,” said Seiha.
Political analyst Meas Nee opined that Cambodia’s “weak point” in relation to plane or helicopter crashes was that there was “no specific research on its cause”.
“The government should inspect all helicopters, not just helicopters from China,” he said. “Therefore, there should be an investigation into its cause to prevent such incidents in the future.”
On Sunday afternoon, a Facebook user called Kheng Sreya, believed to be a relative of missing officer Kheng Chaiyuth, posted photos with a caption saying “parents, wives, children and siblings have arrived in Veal Veng, Pursat”.
He added that the family members hoped that Chaiyuth was safe, while saying a prayer to the “spirits of the 1,500 mountains to show the team the way to the missing helicopter”.
