Search and rescue forces on Thursday morning are salvaging the tail of the Bell-505 helicopter with license plate VN-8650 that crashed in Hạ Long Bay area the night before. — VNA/VNS Photo

QUẢNG NINH — Rescuers on Thursday morning recovered the fourth body from the helicopter that crashed near Hạ Long Bay last night.

At 9.30am, the body of a woman was found inside the downed helicopter in the waters off of Hòn Dép Island located between Quảng Ninh Province and Hải Phòng City.

The fifth person aboard the aircraft remains unaccounted for.

Authorities are continuing to mobilise vehicles and human resources to urgently search for the last victim.

The Bell-505 helicopter, owned by the Northern Việt Nam Helicopter Company, piloted by a military colonel, crashed at about 5pm on Wednesday in the waters of Gia Luận commune, Cát Hải District of Hải Phòng City while carrying four Vietnamese tourists – all from the central city of Đà Nẵng – on a sightseeing tour of Hạ Long Bay.

Within the night of the incident, three bodies – a male pilot and two passengers (one male, one female) were found.

The Government's working group led by Deputy Prime Minister Trần Lưu Quang arrived in Hải Phòng at 8pm the same day and went to the scene of the incident to direct search and rescue operations on the SAR 411 ship. — VNS