Missing Military Helicopter Found in California as Search for 5 Marines Continues

Anna Lazarus Caplan
·2 min read
5

The San Diego County Sheriff's Department tells PEOPLE that the search for the overdue helicopter is ongoing

<p>Getty</p>

Getty

  • The search for five Marines continues after their military helicopter was found in California

  • The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department tells PEOPLE that the search is ongoing

  • The CH-35E Super Stallion helicopter took off from Creech Air Force Base in Clark County, Nevada, and was headed to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego

A military helicopter has been found in California, while the search continues for the five Marines aboard continues, authorities said.

The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing said in an update on Wednesday that the aircraft was located in Pine Valley just after 9:00 a.m. local time. Officials are still searching for the missing Marines.

“The Sheriff's Department received a call regarding a missing military helicopter on February 7th, at approximately 01:00 AM,” Lt. David LaDieu of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department told PEOPLE earlier on Wednesday. “Our search and rescue unit was activated and began conducting operations by 03:00 AM.”

“We are currently assisting the Civil Air Patrol, the United States Border Patrol BORSTAR unit, CalFire, and the US Forest Service in our attempts to locate the helicopter," LaDieu continued.

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With current weather conditions “a mixture of snow and rain,” the sheriff’s department is using 4x4 Jeeps to search the area due to the “difficult and muddy terrain,” LaDieu said.

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Should conditions clear up to allow for safer flying conditions, the sheriff’s department will utilize its ASTREA unit to conduct an aerial search.

The CH-35E Super Stallion helicopter took off from Creech Air Force Base in Clark County, Nevada, and was headed to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, CBS News reported.

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Cal Fire officials told ABC News that firefighters responded to the area where the helicopter was last known but did not find the unit.

The sheriff’s office tells PEOPLE that as of 10 a.m. Wednesday local time, the search continues.

“We will continue joint operations in our steadfast attempts to locate the crew,” LaDieu says.

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