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CNN Live Sunday

Seven Americans, Nine Vietnamese Killed in Helicopter Crash

Aired April 08, 2001 - 17:24   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
STEPHEN FRAZIER, CNN ANCHOR: More now on a story that first started presenting itself late last night. Americans and Vietnamese working together to recover the remains of U.S. servicemen and women lost ever since the Vietnam War. Then as we learned yesterday, their helicopter went down. Here is CNN's Frank Buckley with the report on yesterday's accident.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The MI-17 helicopter, similar to this one, went down with 16 people on board. Seven U.S. military personnel; nine Vietnamese -- all killed in the crash.

LT. COL. FRANKLIN CHILDRESS, PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER: Our hearts, prayers and deepest sympathies go out to the families of those involved in this incident, both Americans and Vietnamese.

BUCKLEY: U.S. military officials say the victims were doing advance work for joint task force full accounting, a U.S.-Vietnam effort to locate and return more than 1,900 U.S. military personnel still unaccounted for, more than a quarter of a century after the Vietnam War's end. President Bush said in a statement:

"It was a terrible loss. Although not lost in a hostile act like those for whom they search, they too have lived lives of great consequence."

In all, 590 operations have yielded more than 500 sets of remains since 1992. Former President Clinton visiting one excavation site just last November. A spokesman for the families of the missing saying, those involved in the effort are appreciated.

MICHAEL BENGE, NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF FAMILIES: A very, very hard job and they oftentimes end up staying out for weeks at a time under most difficult situations and so we have the highest respect for their work.

BUCKLEY: Six sites in Vietnam were set to be excavated next month and U.S. officials saying it isn't clear if that work will be delayed.

CHILDRESS: Right now, we are just in the mode of trying to find out what happened and we will be in the mode of assessing what we are going to do as a result of the accident.

BUCKLEY: Task force officials here in Hawaii say U.S. teams will be part of the effort to recover the bodies of the seven service members killed in the helicopter crash, seven people who are helping to recover remains of fellow service members killed in a war more than 25 years ago.

Frank Buckley, CNN, Honolulu, Hawaii.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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