Helicopter makes emergency landing in Hong Kong

HONG KONG - A helicopter en route to Macao made an emergency landing in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour Saturday, but all 13 people on board were safe.

The AW139 helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing at sea at around 12.04 p.m. (1604 GMT), after the pilots heard a long noise at the back of the chopper shortly after taking off, Xinhua reported.

“The pilot heard a loud bang at the back and decided to land on the waters,” Leung Yu-keung, acting director general of the Civil Aviation Department, was quoted as saying.

Some of the broken down parts from the chopper will be sent to Italy, where the helicopter was manufactured, for investigation, he said.

All 13 people, including 11 passengers and the two pilots, were rescued and rushed to hospital for treatment. The chopper service between Hong Kong and Macao was temporarily suspended until all helicopters were thoroughly checked.