A South Korean ambulance helicopter with seven people on board crashed into the sea off the country’s east coast on Friday.
The accident took place near the South Korea-controlled islets of Dokdo.
The Airbus H225 Super Puma aircraft operated by South Korea’s fire department was carrying an injured sailor to the hospital when it crashed shortly after takeoff from Dokdo, according to officials at Gyeongbuk Fire Service Headquarters.
On Friday, the defence ministry said that it had sent vessels, planes and divers to scour the ocean for any sign of the seven people, so far without success. A suspected piece of the helicopter had been found, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The helicopter went into service in 2016 and was crewed by two veteran pilots, Yonhap further added.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in ordered safety checks on H225 choppers, one of which crashed off Norway in 2016 killing 13 North Sea oil workers.
That crash led to a temporary grounding of most of the global fleet and prompted Airbus SE to make design changes to gearboxes.
There were no immediate reports on what may have caused the latest accident.
Airbus spokesman based in France said, “We are aware of what happened and we stand ready to support our customer and the authorities if they need further assistance”.
In August this year, an Airbus AS350 helicopter crashed in northern Norway that killed all six people on board and prompting European regulators to order checks on recently delivered versions of some Airbus helicopters.
The Dokdo islets, which South Korea and Japan claim as their territory, are called Takeshima in Japan. They are controlled by Seoul with a small band of coast guards.
(With inputs from agency)