China News Service, February 8. According to the New York Post, on the 7th local time, U.S. military officials stated that a military helicopter carrying five Marines crashed in Pine Valley, Southern California. Currently, the missing The military helicopter has been located, but rescuers are still searching for the whereabouts of the missing people.
According to reports, on the 6th local time, a CH-53E "Super Stallion" transport helicopter belonging to the US Marine Corps Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361 took off from Creech Air Force Base in Nevada. Its destination was Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, a Marine Corps statement said.
According to reports, the U.S. military immediately launched a search operation after the helicopter failed to arrive as scheduled.
"The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing is coordinating search and rescue efforts with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department and the Civil Air Patrol. The latest information will be released as it becomes available," the U.S. military said in a statement.
San Diego County police said they received a call at 1:50 a.m. local time on the 7th and sent their own helicopter to search, but due to bad local weather, the helicopter was unable to arrive. They then sent off-road vehicles to drive over the rough terrain. The San Diego Fire Department also joined the search.
The U.S. Marine Corps stated that the helicopter was discovered at 9:08 a.m. local time on the 7th. The search and rescue of the missing persons is still ongoing.
Super Stallion helicopters have reportedly been involved in a number of crashes over the past decade, at least two of which were fatal.