STEPHEN FRAZIER, CNN ANCHOR: More on that helicopter crash over Vietnam. We are told now that 16 people killed, seven of them were American military personnel. Our national correspondent Eileen O'Connor is working at the Pentagon for us tonight. Eileen, what more can you tell us about this?</s>EILEEN O'CONNOR, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the president and the first lady have just issued a statement, basically saying that they are deeply saddened to learn of the crash. The president noting, though, that the families of the service personnel lost in today's tragic accident knew better than most the contributions their loved ones made in bringing closure to scores of American families across America. He also said that today's loss is a terrible one for our country. As you know, their mission today was a site survey; they were part of a joint task Full Accounting, which basically, their mission is to go out and do site surveys and try to find places where they can excavate, looking for the remains of Americans missing in action, and trying to bring closure, as the president said, to families of those Americans -- Stephen.</s>FRAZIER: Eileen, any word on the nature of the crash itself? What happened to the helicopter?</s>O'CONNOR: Well, we know that it was a Russian-made MI-17 helicopter, and it crashed about 250 miles south of Hanoi. Now, Pentagon officials and officials at the Pacific Command that I've spoken to said that they do not know exactly what caused the crash. They are still trying to learn details from the Vietnamese side. These helicopters are generally chartered from local companies there. As you know, there were 16 people on board, nine Vietnamese. They often help the Americans in doing -- carrying out these missions. So far, though, Stephen, no details other than the fact that it was on a site survey, and they were about 250 miles south of Hanoi -- Stephen.</s>FRAZIER: Important work, Eileen, and a tragic development. Thank you for bringing us up to date on that. Eileen O'Connor at the Pentagon tonight.
Helicopter Crash in Vietnam Kills 16