The only survivor of the MI-171 helicopter crash which killed 20 military personnel on board in Hanoi in 2014 has just been offered artificial hands. 

Lieutenant Dinh Van Duong, 34, has been suffering serious pains since he woke up after nearly four months in coma after the tragedy. He had undergone 24 surgeries and has lost his hands, legs and the whole body covered in burns scars.

Talking with Dantri/Dtinews in his small apartment in Long Bien District, Duong was still shocked when remembering about the day he lost his 20 teammates and friends and he survived with serious injuries.

"There have been times I thought I could not go on with such pains," Duong said. "But my mom and wife are always besides to help me start a totally new life in which I almost cannot do anything by myself."

Duong said that he had to try a lot to learn how to do simple works like controlling the wheelchair, turning on the lights or the fans or opening the door.

"I was so happy to receive a pair of artificial hands from some donors on November 13," Duong said. "I had dreamed to have them for the past three years to do other work by myself to reduce the burden for my mom and wife."

 "I am so happy to see Duong's having new hopes with his new hands," the mother said. "I and his wife have been struggling to help him return to normal life over the past three years and we cannot afford to buy him earlier."

The MI-171 helicopter with 21 military personnel on board lost contact and came down only 16 minutes after it took off from Hoa Lac Airport in the west of Hanoi for a parachute training exercise on July 7, 2014, causing 18 fatalities and injuring three.

Three survivors were rushed to the National Institute of Burns in Hanoi for intensive treatment but two died several days later.

Dtinews