RESCUE teams are frantically searching for a helicopter after it vanished over Italy with seven people onboard.
The chopper took off from Capannori Lucca Tassignano airport in Lucca yesterday morning after being privately hired and was due to arrive at its destination in Treviso within an hour.
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But the helicopter went off the radar – prompting officials to raise the alarm.
A search between the regions of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna had to be called off last night and resumed this morning, reports La Stampa.
According to local news reports, the helicopter was being used by a company called Roto Court, which manufactures hygiene products and household chemicals.
Company director Giuliano Gelain told news agency ANSA that they were “confident” the helicopter did not crash as no emergency signal was received.
He said the chopper flew customers to and from the sites twice a day.
The helicopter had seven people onboard – the Italian pilot, four Turkish citizens and two Lebanese – and took off at 9.30am local time yesterday.
It was due to land by 10.30am, but disappeared mid-flight.
Local site Reggio reports an emergency landing in a remote area has not been ruled out.
