WASHINGTON, March 11, 2015 - Search and rescue teams are looking
for seven Marines and four soldiers this morning after an accident near
Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Two National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters were
participating in a training exercise overnight, Eglin spokesman Andy
Bourland said in a news release. The aircraft are assigned to the
1-244th Assault Helicopter Battalion in Hammond, Louisiana. They were
participating in a routine training mission involving the Marine Special
Operations Regiment from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, he said. Searchers Find Debris
One of the helicopters, with four aircrew members and seven Marines
aboard, was involved in an accident near Eglin range site A-17, east of
the Navarre Bridge, Bourland said. The helicopter was reported missing
at about 8:30 p.m. last night, and a search and rescue team found debris
at about 2 a.m. today, he added. Search and rescue efforts are
underway at the accident site, Bourland said. The second helicopter
returned to Eglin, and all Marines and soldiers aboard are accounted
for. Names of the soldiers and Marines are being withheld pending
notification of their families, and the accident is under
investigation, Bourland said.
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