HO CHI MINH CITY, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- A helicopter crashed on Tuesday morning after some 15 minutes of a flying rehearsal in Vietnam's southern Ba Ria Vung Tau province, local media reported.
At 10:50 a.m. local time, a fire, suspected of stemming from the crash of the chopper with two pilots onboard, was spotted on Dinh Mountain in Ba Ria Vung Tau, 80 km from Ho Chi Minh City, online newspaper Tien Phong (Pioneer) reported.
The chopper is EC 130, a small plane used for flight training, owned by the Central Aviation Company, said Vu Ngoc Thao, director of the provincial Transport Department.
However, another online newspaper, Tuoi Tre (Youth), reported that the helicopter was carrying three people, including a trainer pilot and two learners, and the chopper belongs to the Army Corps No. 18 of Vietnam's anti-aircraft and air forces.
At 11:00 a.m. local time, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Nhat confirmed that there was a helicopter incident in Ba Ria Vung Tau, but gave no details. Local police in the province's Tan Thanh district said at noon that they have yet to spot any traces of the helicopter.
