US Navy Helicopter crashes off California coast; 5 missing as rescue ops continue

At least five service members have been reported missing after a US Navy helicopter crashed off the Californian coast. The incident happened during routine operations of the Navy’s Pacific fleet, nearly 60 nautical miles off the coast of San Diego at 4.30 pm on August 31. It announced that one man was rescued, adding that multiple rescue operations were ongoing to look out for the missing USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) troops. The fleet commander also stated that Coast Guard, Navy air and surface assets were also deployed for the same.

''An MH-60S helicopter embarked aboard USS Abraham Lincoln crashed into the sea while conducting routine flight operations approximately 60 nautical miles off the coast of San Diego at 4:30 pm PTD, August 31," the US Pacific fleet said in a statement. 

The statement further mentioned, "Currently, one crew member has been rescued and search efforts continue for the other crewmembers of an MH-60S helicopter embarked aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) that crashed into the sea while conducting routine flight operations approximately 60 nautical miles off the coast of San Diego at 4:30 p.m. PST, Aug. 31." 

Another crash

Last week, a Mexican Navy helicopter, en-route to areas hit by Hurricane Grace, made a crash landing on some vehicles while transporting medical aid for victims of the calamity. Fortunately, no major casualty has been reported except for a few passengers getting injured. A video of the mishap has gone viral.

The scary incident has been caught on camera by witnesses. The videos show the helicopter hovering over the field preparing to land. However, in an attempt to descend, the chopper is seen losing control and spiralling down to hit a van and an SUV. The helicopter's tail rotor and blades were damaged after the impact. A group of bystanders are seen rushing to the crash site to help with the evacuation. 

The helicopter with 20 people on board crashed in the town of Agua Blanca, the central state of Hidalgo. Through his Twitter account, the governor of Veracruz confirmed that the Secretary of State Government Eric Cisneros was en route to areas hit by the hurricane when the aircraft experienced a mechanical glitch.

(Image: AP)