No trace of relief copter yet

More than 10,000 rescue workers have not been able to trace any of the 19 people who crashed in a helicopter in Sichuan province on Saturday even after 48 hours.

The copter was carrying five crew and 14 injured quake survivors when it encountered strong turbulence and thick fog and crashed on the densely forested Zhaogong Mountain, military sources said. The spot is near Xuankou township between Dujiangyan and Wenchuan, two of the worst hit places by the quake.

The Mi-171 helicopter, under Chengdu Military Command, was returning after carrying a team of epidemic prevention experts to Lixian county and picking up the injured from there.