All crew aboard missing Thai helicopter safe

BANGKOK, October 8 (TNA) - Three crew members aboard a missing Thai helicopter, including a Thai pilot and two Myanmar nationals, have been confirmed safe, after they lost contact 11 days ago while supporting a search mission for missing mountain climbers in Myanmar. The Thai helicopter took off from Putao in Myanmar's Kachin State to deliver supplies to a team searching for the mountain climbers on Mount Hkakabo Razi before it lost contact. The Htoo Foundation, which led the search operation, posted on its facebook page on October 7 that the helicopter had been found and all three men on board were alive. Meanwhile, Thai Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha, who is also Chief of the army-led National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), told reporters on Wednesday he has been reported by the military that the missing Thai helicopter has been found and all crew members are safe. The prime minister said that the crew members lost contact because their communication radios could not function, and that Myanmar authorities were worried and contacted with their Thai counterparts all the time. The Thai pilot, Chatchawan Thaenthong, was reportedly fatigued without any serious injury. (TNA)