Helicopter crash leaves two dead in containership post-rescue effort

A Taiwan National Airborne Service Corps helicopter crashed after dropping members of the country’s Environmental Protection Agency on to the grounded TS Taipei to evaluate any potential environmental risks, according to local media reports.    A Taiwan National Airborne Service Corps (NASC) helicopter crashed Friday after dropping members of the country’s Environmental Protection Agency on to a grounded containership of the country’s northern coast, according to local media reports.
   The Taipei Times reported that pilot Lin Chen-hsin, 47, Coast Guard Special Services Officer Tsai Tsung-ta, 34, were killed and another co-pilot, 46-year-old Chu Yao-chung, is in critical condition following the crash.
   The NASC helicopter was assisting in post-rescue operations involving the TS Taipei, which ran aground on a shallow reef after losing power in rough seas early Thursday morning. All 21 members of the container vessel’s crew had been rescued prior to the crash, and three additional people on board the helicopter at the time of the crash were also rescued within 90 minutes of the incident.
   Taiwan’s EPA believed the vessel was leaking fuel and dispatched a team of technicians and inspectors to verify the extent of the oil spill and any potential pollution to the surrounding coastal area.
   The 2006-built TS Taipei has a capacity of 1,578 TEUs, according to ocean carrier schedule and capacity database BlueWater Reporting. The vessel was on its way to Hong Kong after leaving Keelung, Taiwan the previous day.
   Premier Simon Chang personally visited with the families of Lin and Tsai to express the government’s condolences, Taipei Times reported.
   “We will provide the highest level of compensation for the victims’ families, because they died in line of duty,” said Chang. “An investigation will be carried out by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Commission to determine the cause of the accident and the parties responsible for the incident.”