HK billionaire Lam Kok feared dead in air crash

The search intensified on Sunday for missing Chinese billionaire Lam Kok and two others who were feared dead following a helicopter crash in the Bordeaux region of southwest France on Friday.

Kok's 12-year-old son was confirmed dead on Saturday after police found his body in the wreckage of the helicopter, but the bodies of business tycoon Kok, vintner James Gregoire and a Chinese interpreter have yet to be recovered.

Kok, 46, a Hong Kong resident who owns a Chinese tea and real estate company named Brilliant Group, was on a helicopter piloted by vintner Gregoire, from whom he had just purchased a large French vineyard and chateau.

French police said the body of Kok's son and mangled parts of the helicopter were retrieved from 7 meters of water in the Dordogne River in the Bordeaux region on Saturday.

Authorities deployed police divers, sniffer dogs and sonar to search for the missing bodies. Police reinforcements were added to the more than 100 officers already conducting the search, the AFP reported.

But hopes of finding the three missing victims faded as strong currents in the river complicated the search.

Chinese diplomats from the local embassy have arrived at the scene to cooperate with local authorities and offer assistance to the families of the missing.

High-profile purchase

Kok had celebrated his purchase of the Chateau de la Riviere, one of the region's oldest estates, with an extravagant event on Friday.

He held a news conference and spent time introducing himself as the new owner.

Gregoire, the former owner, then offered to take Kok on a short tour of the vineyards and surrounding grounds in the helicopter.

Kok's wife, Liu Xiangyun, decided not to board the ill-fated flight at the last minute, saying she was afraid of helicopters.

When Gregoire's planned 10-minute flight did not return after more than 20 minutes, employees of the chateau contacted police and emergency services.

The cause of the fatal crash remains unknown.

In a bizarre coincidence, the previous owner of the chateau died in a plane crash in 2002, a year before Gregoire bought the property.

People close to the accident expressed shock after learning the tragic news. "We can't take it in. It's unthinkable," the vineyard's managing director, Xavier Buffo, said.

During the publicity event, Buffo said Kok's purchase was the largest Chinese investment in Bordeaux property to date.

Philippe Buisson, mayor of the nearby French city of Libourne, said it was too soon to say what Kok's wife will do with the estate. "Right now, she is displaying courage and great responsibility," he said.

AFP contributed to this story.

lixiang@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 12/23/2013 page12)