U.S. Pacific Command has declared a UH1 “Huey” helicopter missing in the midst of relief efforts following a series of devastating earthquakes in Nepal.
The helicopter was carrying 2 Nepalese army soldiers and 6 U.S. Marines when it disappeared in the remote area near Charikot. The aid team had delivered tarps and rice to one location, and was on its way to another, when contact was lost.
Search teams have found no evidence of a crash, and officials are hopeful that the team was forced to land in a low-lying area and is unable to deploy a beacon or radio signal. Nightfall ended air-based search, but full efforts to locate the craft and team will continue at dawn.
Today another major earthquake shook the area near Mount Everest, leaving 68 people dead and those left standing on edge. This comes just two weeks after thousands died in an even more intense earthquake that left thousands dead and communities in ruins.
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A frightening series of aftershocks has kept residents of Nepal on edge. But none had nearly the power of Tuesday’s magnitude-7.3 quake, which was centered near Mount Everest.It was felt with force 52 miles (83 kilometers) to the east, in the country’s capital, Kathmandu, which suffered so much in the April earthquake.Mingma Sherpa was in his car with two friends in Thamel, Kathmandu’s congested tourist district, when the earth began to tremble.In his rear-view mirror he saw people running in panic. It was then that he knew it was another earthquake.He was in a hotel parking lot, surrounded by tall buildings. The ground shook for 30 seconds.He ordered his friends out of the car, and they ran for their lives, joining the crowd, desperately seeking an open space in a part of Kathmandu where there are few.Eventually, when everything stopped, he was able to make it back home.
The effects of this second earthquake spread out of Nepal and into surrounding areas. At least one woman died in Tibet, and 17 more in northeastern India. International aid efforts are ongoing, and officials have already begun to pivot toward addressing the continuing dangers posed by aftershocks and landslides.
We’ll keep you updated on the search for the helicopter, and on the progress of aid efforts in Nepal.
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