US Marine helicopter missing in Nepal

WASHINGTON

A Marine helicopter has gone missing in Nepal while attempting to deliver aid to earthquake victims and evacuate casualties to the capital of Kathmandu on Tuesday, the Pentagon confirmed.

Six Marines and two Nepalese service members were aboard the UH-1Y Huey helicopter when it went missing at roughly 7 p.m. local time near Charikot, a city just east of the capital.

“At this time, the status of those manifested on the flight is unknown,” the Pentagon said in a statement.

Nepalese military forces are currently scouring the aircraft’s last known location as U.S. and Nepalese aircraft prepare to resume aerial search efforts at daybreak Wednesday.

The incident highlights the dangers of continued international aid efforts in the earthquake-ravaged South Asian nation.

The second major earthquake to hit Nepal in a matter of weeks killed at least 50 people Tuesday, according to officials. The earthquake registered a magnitude-7.3, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The quake struck 50 miles (80 kilometers), east of the capital. A series of large aftershocks were also reported shortly afterwards. 

Aid agencies are concerned that the quake could worsen conditions in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that hit country April 25, killing more than 8,150 people and injuring up to 18,000. 

Emergency services and international aid agencies had shifted focus from rescue operations to providing relief, especially to the displaced, ahead of the upcoming monsoon season. 

The new quake caused buildings already made fragile by April's quake, to collapse. There are also fears that the shock, combined with recent heavy rains, could trigger landslides in remote areas where authorities are already struggling to provide aid.