Five Marines are dead after a helicopter crash near San Diego, California, earlier this week, the Marine Corps confirmed Thursday, following a search after their helicopter went missing.
A CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter — the same kind that crashed near San Diego this week—takes off ... [+]
A helicopter in a training flight crashed on Tuesday, the Marine Corp said, and efforts to recover the five Marines’ remains and the flight equipment are underway.
An investigation into what caused the crash is also underway, according to the Marine Corp.
The helicopter’s location was last known around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday and it was reported overdue around 1 a.m. Wednesday, CBS reported.
The crashed helicopter was located near the small mountain community of Pine Valley around 9 a.m. on Wednesday, the Marine Corp said, but the service said at the time it was still looking for the five Marines, a search that was complicated by the rain and snow hitting southern California as part of an atmospheric river.
In a statement, the Marine Corp said the deceased pilots and crew members were “serving a calling greater than self,” adding: “we will forever be grateful for their call to duty and selfless service.”
Who was on the helicopter. The names of the deceased will be released 24 hours after the family is notified, according to Marine Corps policy.