Search for missing Marine helicopter expands in Nepal’s quake-hit region
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Version 0 of 1. NEW DELHI, India — American and Nepali aerial reconnaissance teams expanded sweeps over earthquake-damaged regions Wednesday in the search for a U.S. Marine helicopter that lost contact during an aid mission after the latest deadly temblor in the Himalayas. Six U.S. Marines and two Nepali soldiers were aboard the chopper that was reported missing Tuesday just hours after a 7.3-magnitude quake that killed at least 76 people in Nepal and more than a dozen in northern India. It also leveled hundreds of homes – many already weakened from last month’s devastating quake that claimed more than 8,000 lives. It was not immediately clear whether the Marine helicopter had crashed or was somehow disabled and unable to contact base. [Twin blows in the struggle to recover] A U.S. military spokesman, Army Maj. Dave Eastburn, said two UH-1 Huey helicopters and two MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft — part of a joint task force in Kathmandu — had taken part in the hunt across Nepal’s northeast region, one of the hardest-hit areas from the latest quake. One of the UH-1 choppers was fitted with a hoist to reach the ground in areas too rugged to land, Eastburn said. “We remain optimistic in our efforts,” said Eastburn. An official at Nepal’s home ministry, Laxmi Prasad Dhakal, said the search focused on the rugged Sunkhani area, about 50 miles northeast of Kathmandu, where the chopper last had contact. Army officials in Nepal said that eight military helicopters and 200 soldiers have been mobilized, as well as 40 boats to comb the Tamakoshi River, a popular waterway for rafters. Tuesday’s quake – which also left nearly 2,000 people injured -- came as Nepal was trying to recover from the massive April 25 quake that marked the worst death toll in the country in decades. The latest quake overwhelmed hospitals and clinics, stranded rescue teams in far-flung areas and further traumatized residents, some of whom had only just returned to sleeping in their homes after days of aftershocks. Dr. Lin Aung, a Nepal-based representative for the U.N.’s World Health Organization, said medical teams were treating the injured in tents as a safety precaution. “Patients from some of the hospitals are outside,” Aung said. “They are afraid, they don’t want to be inside.” Rama Lakshmi in New Delhi, Brian Murphy in Washington and Pradeep Bashyal in Kathmandu contributed to this report. Read more: Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world |