The wreckage of a U.S. military helicopter lost on an earthquake relief mission in Nepal was found on Friday high on a mountainside and all eight on board were killed, U.S. officials said.
A U.S. search team identified the wreckage as that of the missing Marines UH-1Y Huey helicopter deployed after the Himalayan nation was hit by a big earthquake in April that killed more than 8,000 people.
Crash debris was found 13 km north of the town of Charikot near dense forest and rugged terrain. Six U.S. Marines and two Nepali soldiers were killed in the crash.
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"Together we mourn as our nation and the Federal Republic of Nepal have lost eight courageous men," said Admiral Samuel J. Locklear, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families."
The Huey went missing while it was distributing aid on Tuesday, the day a strong aftershock hit Nepal and killed more than 100 people and after the crew was heard over the radio saying the aircraft was experiencing a fuel problem.
After a three-day search, the Huey was spotted near the village of Ghorthali at an altitude of 11,200 ft, an Army General said, as helicopters and Nepali ground troops converged on the crash site.
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"It was found on a steep slope," Major General Binoj Basnet said. U.S. and Nepali teams investigated the site on Friday in an attempt to determine the cause of the crash.