SAN DIEGO.- The United States Marine Corps helicopter USA that was missing with five soldiers on board has been found in a mountainous area near San Diego, the military recently reported.
The ship was found shortly after 9 a.m. Wednesday near the community of Pine Valley, 45 miles (72 kilometers) from San Diego, but snowfall is making land access difficult, the force said.
Rescuers are “using ground and air resources to locate the crew, in coordination with the San Diego Police Department and multiple federal, state and local agencies,” the Marine Corps said in a statement.
The helicopter was carrying five soldiers from Nevada to California and had not arrived at its destination Wednesday morning.
The Marines crewed a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter from Creech Air Force Base in Clark County, Nevada, to Marine Corps Air Station San Diego, the agency said in a statement.
The helicopter in the middle of the storm
The five U.S. Marines were assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Air Wing in Miramar.
The 3rd Marine Air Wing based at Miramar Air Station in San Diego coordinates search and rescue efforts, along with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and the Civil Air Patrol, the Corps said. Marine infantry.
The Sheriff’s Department was notified at 1 a.m. that the aircraft had not yet arrived in Miramar and was last seen in the area of Pine Valley, a mountainous region about 35 miles (56 kilometers) east of downtown San Diego, said Lt. Matthew Carpenter.
Waves of heavy rain fell all night in the area, stemming from a historic storm that hit California this week.
It is not known what time the helicopter took off from Nevada or why it was flying in the storm.
The National Weather Service in San Diego forecast 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 centimeters) of snow and gusty winds in mountains above 5,000 feet (1,524 meters) by Wednesday afternoon. A tornado watch was issued Tuesday afternoon, but it was quickly canceled; The weather service said the storm was not capable of forming a tornado.
The CH-53E Super Stallion, about 30 meters (99 feet) long, is the largest and heaviest helicopter in the U.S. military. It can transport troops and equipment over rugged terrain and in bad weather, even at night, according to the Marine Corps website. It is nicknamed “Hurricane Causer” because of the amount of air its three engines blow.
Source: AP
