A pilot is believed to have survived a helicopter crash in the mountainous Cambodian jungle two weeks ago, with experts saying he likely covered the body of his deceased copilot and later died near the wreckage.
Search parties on Monday and Tuesday finally caught up to the downed Z9 military helicopter, which had been piloted by airmen Sun Phalla and Kheng Chhay Yuth when it went down on a July 12 training flight from Phnom Penh to the western province of Pursat.
“We conclude that when it crashed, [Sun Phalla] was probably still alive,” deputy commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces Joint Chief of Staff Ith Sarath told a news conference.
“That’s when he took his shirt to cover the corpse of the other pilot and took cover from the helicopter’s wreckage,” he said.
He said that it’s possible that Sun Phalla, whose body was found around 200 meters (about 660 feet) from the crash site, may have died due to starvation or cold weather.
Critics told Radio Free Asia that they blamed the pilots’ deaths on the inability to quickly locate the helicopter after it crashed.
“In case of such a problem, it can be captured via GPS,” Sek Socheat, a consultant for Mindset and Research Development, told RFA Khmer. “Therefore, there should be a GPS on the planes for signals so it is easier to find in case of emergency.”
Sek Socheat said that the difficult terrain, combined with the search force’s lack of modern equipment made the search more difficult than it needed to be.
But weather also played a role, defense ministry spokesman Chhum Socheat told RFA.
“It is the rainy season, it rains every day, which was the main obstacle preventing us from finding the helicopter for so long,” he said.
“Secondly, the thick forest is difficult to penetrate, and thirdly, the rain makes the water flow more, making it difficult for us,” he said. “In fact, we had already determined the position but we didn’t have enough forces.”
Finland-based political commentator Kim Sok told RFA that the relevant authorities must open a proper investigation. He also said the government should be held responsible to the families of the victims.
RFA attempted to contact Meas Sophorn, the spokesman for Prime Minister Hun Manet, on Tuesday but received no response.
This helicopter training accident was not the first in Cambodia’s history. In 2014, another Z9 went down during a training flight in Phnom Penh, killing four people and injuring a fifth.
Translated by Yun Samean. Edited by Eugene Whong.