Photo: The Paper

 

Details of four crew members who sacrificed their lives during a firefighting operation after the helicopter crashed in Erhai Lake were revealed, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management of China on Tuesday.

According to the official Weibo account of the ministry, all the four members served as pilots in an air rescue team in Kunming, Southwest China's Yunnan Province.

All four crew members were killed after a helicopter crashed in Erhai Lake in Dali, Yunnan, during a firefighting operation on Monday morning.

The missing two crew members were found without vital signs in the early morning on Tuesday, after the first two died on Monday despite rescue attempts, China Central Television reported on Tuesday, citing the local government.

A total of 16 boats and more than 490 rescuers carried out search and rescue efforts at the scene, according to a local government statement on Monday.

"The helicopter was trying to fetch water for the firefighting but fell into the Erhai Lake," read the post. "The reason for the crash is still under investigation."

Social media showed video of the helicopter spinning and falling into the waters with flames in the helicopter's rear, as well as rescue scenes.

A fire broke out in a mountain village in Dali on Sunday morning. A total of 930 firefighters were gathered for the mission.

Global Times