The Z-9 helicopter that was lost in the Cardamom Mountains 17 days ago has been found on a mountain called Phnom Yav Yai in Thma Da commune of Pursat province’s Veal Veng district, according to Pursat provincial governor Khoy Rida.

“Yes, we have found the helicopter. But we don’t know the fate of the two crew members. We scanned from above with helicopters and then we dropped special forces there. It was extremely difficult to get to the location,” he said.

“We observed that the helicopter seemed to have crashed on its tail; it is not completely destroyed. It is in the middle of dense forest and a valley on top of Yav Yai mountain,” he said, referring further questions to the Ministry of National Defense.

The chopper went dark on the afternoon of July 12 while running a routine training exercise when it disappeared during bad weather. Conditions in the area had hindered search and rescue operations, making aerial surveillance challenging and hampering ground teams' ability to navigate the terrain safely and efficiently.

An air force statement noted that the authorities were concentrating their efforts within an isolated 50sq km of wilderness.

The chopper was carrying two air force officers, Sun Pla and Kheng Chaiyuth.

Updated: 5:30 PM

One of the crewmen of the recently discovered air force chopper. Kheng Chaiyuth, was found dead in the area of the crash on Phnom Yav Yai Mountain at 5pm today (July 29). The other, Sun Phla, is still missing.