California, United States

The five US Marines who went missing after their helicopter travelling from Nevada to California crashed in the mountains of San Diego have been found dead, said a United States military spokesperson on Thursday (Feb 8). 

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What we know about the crash

The five Marines who were said to be missing and now confirmed dead, were on a training flight aboard a CH-53E Super Stallion travelling from Creech Air Force Base in Nevada to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in southern California.

WATCH | Missing US military helicopter found without the five Marines on board

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“It is with a heavy heart and profound sadness that I share the loss of five outstanding Marines from 3d Marine Aircraft Wing and the ‘Flying Tigers’ while conducting a training flight,” said Major General Michael Borgschulte, commander of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, in a statement. 

He added, that the efforts to recover the remains of the five have begun and an investigation into the crash is underway. The names of the Marines were not immediately released.

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After the helicopter failed to arrive in California as scheduled, late Tuesday (Feb 6) a search and rescue operation was initiated, said the US Marine Corps.

The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing coordinated search and rescue efforts with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and the Civil Air Patrol. 

The crashed helicopter was found in a mountainous region east of San Diego near Pine Valley, California, at around 9 am (local time) on Wednesday, the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing said. 

ALSO READ | Missing US military chopper found, fate of five Marines on board unknown

The helicopter’s last ping was recorded at 11:20 pm (local time) on Tuesday Cal Fire San Diego spokesperson Mike Cornette told CNN on Wednesday. 

The CH-53E is the largest helicopter in the US military and is a heavy-lift aircraft which is typically used to move troops and equipment. It has the capacity to carry as much as 16 tons of cargo inside and up to 55 troops. 

The helicopter, which was designed to fly in harsh conditions, went missing amid historic storm in California, which saw heavy snow and a record amount of rain on Wednesday night. 

ALSO READ | Three US Marines killed as aircraft crashes during combat exercise in Australia

In a statement on X, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said it had received the call about the missing aircraft around 1:00 am (local time) and a mix of snow and rain did not allow it to use its helicopter unit for the search.

Previous crashes

Over the past decade or so, the Super Stallion helicopters have been involved in several crashes, and at least two of them have been fatal. In 2018, four Marines from Miramar, San Diego died when their Super Stallion crashed near El Centro, near the California-Mexico border, during a training mission.

(With inputs from agencies)