An American military helicopter that was reported missing with five Marines on board has been located, according to authorities on Wednesday.
Search and rescue crews were diligently searching for the Marines amidst challenging weather conditions in the mountainous region of Southern California, according to the Marine Corps.
The CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter was discovered east of San Diego in Pine Valley, California, at 9:08 am, a few hours after search efforts were initiated by authorities, as announced by the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing on social media.
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Multiple organizations, including federal agencies, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, and the Civil Air Patrol, participated in the search.
The helicopter was en route from Creech Air Force Base in Clark County, Nevada, towards Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego on Tuesday when it was identified as overdue, according to the Marine Corps.
The helicopter’s final known location was disclosed around 11:30 pm on Tuesday. The sheriff’s department was notified shortly after 1 am that the helicopter had not arrived at Miramar as expected.
Firefighters Mobilized to Locate Helicopter
According to a spokesperson from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s San Diego office, firefighters were sent to the helicopter’s last-known location near the Cleveland National Forest.
According to the spokesperson, the region was characterized by challenging terrain and experienced intense snowfall.
No evidence was discovered at the scene.
Cal Fire requested assistance from the US Forest Service and the US Border Patrol to aid in the search effort. The forest is situated close to the US-Mexico border.
The spokesperson for the sheriff’s department informed that due to the dense clouds early on Wednesday morning, their helicopter was unable to be deployed to assist in the search operation.
The area is expected to experience rain, snow showers, and fog throughout the day. Some parts may receive 1 to 3 inches of snow, as reported by the National Weather Service’s San Diego office.
By Wednesday night, certain areas were expected to receive a snow accumulation of 4 to 6 inches.
The five Marines who are currently unaccounted for were part of Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361, which falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, according to a statement from the Marine Corps.