Update: Another officer, Sun Pla, was found dead about 200 meters away from the helicopter Z-9 crash site, according to National Defense Ministry spokesperson Chhum Socheat.
Earlier, the authorities said there was a possibility Pla was still alive.
Socheat said the pilot’s body was discovered around 10.30 a.m., though he could not provide further details about the number of days Pla has been dead.
Around 11 a.m., the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) organized another press conference after finding the second officer’s body.
“I ordered the helicopter to pick up their body immediately but [the search team] replied that they could not go to the site because of the rain and it was cloudy, so they couldn’t not enter,” said Sarath.
He added that the helicopter carrying the body could not reach the crash site, having to land in an area, which was 1,500 meters from there.
Note: This article was updated at 12 p.m on July 30, 2024, following details shared in a press conference by Ith Sarath, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) and Defense Ministry spokesperson Chhum Socheat.
Update: Until early Tuesday morning, there has been no sign of air force officer Sun Pla following the discovery of pilot Kheng Chaiyuth’s body in the seat of the helicopter which experienced severe damage. The search unit will send his body back to Phnom Penh barring challenges from unfavorable weather.
Speaking in a press conference on Tuesday from the crash site in Veal Veng district, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) Ith Sarath said Chaiyuth’s body was found at 4.10 p.m. yesterday.
The unit has started to look for Pla with a possibility that he might still be alive, Sarath mentioned.
However, he has just received information from the search team that it has rained again and the fog was making it difficult for them to see beyond five meters.
According to Sarath, the plan today was to continue the search for missing officer Pla and looking for a way to bring Chaiyuth’s body out of the forest and transport it to Phnom Penh.
“I would like to inform you that the place where our helicopter can land to retrieve [the body] is far away. It’s not a field. It’s a forest, so it will take time to move,” said Sarath.
“Now, we also told the front man to cut down the tree so that the helicopter can land to retrieve his body. But it also depends on the weather, because if the sky is clear and there is no wind, it can see and land.”
“But if it is windy and rainy, and cloudy, then we have to wait for the right time. But we will try to find a way. And we will continue looking [for Sun Pla],” Sarath continued.
A Facebook account with a username Kheng Sreya, known as Chaiyuth’s brother, posted a poster with the latter’s photo around 9:35 a.m. today. The poster stated that Chaiyuth died at the age of 35 and that a funeral will be conducted at Porchentong Air Force Base in Phnom Penh.
Note:This article was updated at 10 a.m on July 30, 2024, following details shared in a press conference by Ith Sarath, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF).
National Defense Ministry on Monday afternoon confirmed locating the missing Z-9 helicopter on Yav Yai mountain in Thmar Da commune, Veal Veng district in Pursat province after 17 days. However, there is no update on the status of the two pilots.
The Ministry of National Defense officially stated around 4p.m this afternoon that the helicopter was found during the search operation. The Infantry force has been urgently deployed to rescue the two air force officers, Sun Pla and Kheng Chaiyuth, despite geographical and climatic challenges.
The helicopter went missing on the morning of July 12, 2024 during a training exercise, which started from Phnom Penh and covered the Thmar Da area in Pursat province, and was scheduled to return to Phnom Penh.
According to the weather forecast on July 12 by the Ministry of Water Resource and Meteorology, there was a 20 percent chance of rain and thunderstorm with gusts in Cardamom Mountain and the highlands in the surrounding provinces.
After receiving information about the disappearance on July 13, the ministry ordered relevant units to search for the helicopter in an area measuring 50 square kilometers. However, the first week of search proved to be challenging due to unfavorable weather.
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.
