Army Helicopter Crashes in Florida: 7 Marines, 4 Soldiers Missing
Seven Marines and four soldiers were missing early Wednesday following an Army helicopter crash in Florida, officials said.
A search and rescue operation was launched after one of two CH-60 Blackhawk helicopters participating in a routine nighttime training mission crashed, Elgin Air Force Base spokesman Andy Bourland said.
Bourland said it was too soon to say what caused the crash, but that there were "weather issues" overnight.
"This is search and rescue," he stressed, adding that visibility was limited due to darkness and fog. "We have not declared the status of the 11 personnel on board at the time."
Search and rescue teams have located some debris which began to collect in the search area, Bourland added.
The missing Marines were from a special operations regiment out of Camp LeJeune in North Carolina, Bourland said. The helicopters and air crew were assigned to the Army National Guard unit out of Hammond, Louisiana.
The second helicopter on the training mission was not involved in the crash and all of its crew were accounted for.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
First published March 11th 2015, 5:01 am
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/11-military-missing-after-chopper-crash-florida-n321286
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