5 Marines Confirmed Dead in Helicopter Crash in California

The Marine Corps confirmed on Thursday that five Marines died in Tuesday’s helicopter crash east of San Diego.

The announcement from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing came after a search and rescue operation located the helicopter, which was on a training flight from Creech Air Force Base in Nevada to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego.

After it was reported missing, the helicopter was found on Wednesday in Pine Valley, about 44 miles east of San Diego, but the military did not confirm the deaths of the Marines on board until early Thursday.

An investigation into what caused the crash was underway.

This is a developing story.