Missing US helicopter found in California, search continues for 5 Marines

The plane was located by the Pine Valley, California, Civil Affairs Department, the statement said.

Washington:

The U.S. Marine Corps said a missing military helicopter was discovered in California on Wednesday, but the search for the five service members aboard was still ongoing.

The five Marines flew on a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter from Creech Air Force Base in Nevada to the Navy in Miramar in Southern California on Tuesday, a statement posted by the Marine Corps on Facebook said. Marine Corps Air Station when “the aircraft was reported overdue.”

“Civil authorities located the aircraft the next day in Pine Valley, California,” the statement said.

“The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing is managing search and rescue efforts” and “coordinating with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and multiple federal, state and local agencies to utilize ground and air assets to locate the crew,” the statement said.

The Marines made no mention of the remains found on the helicopter, suggesting those on board may have survived.

U.S. military aircraft have been involved in a series of accidents over the past year, including the crash of a V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft off the coast of Japan in late November, killing eight pilots.

Earlier that month, five U.S. service members were killed when a helicopter crashed into the Mediterranean during a training exercise, while in August another Osprey crash in Australia killed three Marines.

In April, three military personnel were killed and one injured when two helicopters returning from a training mission in remote Alaska collided.

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