San Diego – US Navy announced Five sailors missing Days after a helicopter crashed in the Pacific Ocean, the search for them turned into a rescue operation on Saturday.
The move came after more than 72 hours of coordinated rescue efforts and nearly thirty search and rescue flights to search for the wreck, the Pacific Fleet said in a statement Saturday.
The sailors’ names have been withheld until their relatives have been informed.
On Tuesday, five other sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln were injured, as the MH-60S helicopter was operating on the deck before it crashed.
Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Boyle, a spokesman for the Pacific Fleet, said conditions were stable as of Saturday.
The investigation into the cause of the plane crash 70 miles (112 kilometers) off San Diego is still ongoing, but the fact that sailors aboard the aircraft carrier were injured has raised questions about whether the helicopter or parts of it hit Lincoln. When helicopters take off and land on the ship, there are ground crews on the carrier nearby and other people working on the deck.
The helicopter crashed during what the Navy described as routine flight operations.
The MH-60S typically carries a crew of about four and is used for missions including combat support, humanitarian disaster relief, and search and rescue.
The aircraft belongs to the Navy’s 8th Naval Combat Helicopter Squadron.
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