Firefighting Helicopter Crash in Jirisan...60s Couple Who Requested Rescue Dies (Comprehensive)

On the morning of the 1st, a helicopter conducting rescue operations near Cheonwangbong Peak in Jirisan, Sancheong-gun, Gyeongnam, crashed. The photo shows the accident helicopter (Photo by Yonhap News).

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] At around 12:07 PM on the 1st, a firefighting helicopter crashed approximately 400 meters near Cheonwangbong Peak of Jirisan Mountain in Sancheong-gun, Gyeongnam Province. As a result of the accident, a patient who showed cardiac arrest symptoms while hiking and his wife were seriously injured and transported to the hospital but passed away.

According to the firefighting authorities, the accident helicopter departed from the Aviation Rescue Unit in Hapcheon-gun, Gyeongnam Province at around 11:28 AM after receiving a mountain accident rescue request. Then, at around 12 PM, it arrived at a point 400 to 500 meters from Cheonwangbong Peak of Jirisan Mountain towards Beopgyesa Temple and began rescue operations.

The helicopter is presumed to have crashed while performing a hoist rescue operation. Hoist rescue is a method where the helicopter hovers low in the air and lowers a stretcher tied to a cable to the ground to pull up the patient.

Due to this accident, Mr. A (65), who showed cardiac arrest symptoms while hiking, and his wife Mrs. B (61) were seriously injured and transported to the hospital but died. Mr. A fell along with the helicopter, and Mrs. B was hit by the helicopter’s main rotor blade while assisting the rescue from below. Additionally, a hiker Mr. C (45) who was hiking was grazed by the crashing helicopter’s fuselage and sustained minor injuries.

Five rescue team members aboard the firefighting helicopter reportedly did not suffer any significant injuries.

According to the firefighting authorities, video footage confirmed that while pulling the stretcher upward, the hoist cable connected to the helicopter seemed to have caught on something, causing the helicopter to lose balance and crash.

The firefighting authorities issued Response Level 1 (joint response by up to four fire stations) and are conducting rescue operations at the scene. Afterwards, they established an on-site command post to manage the accident site. They plan to investigate the cause of the accident and provide support to the victims’ families.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.