US Navy declares 5 sailors dead after helicopter crash in Pacific

Investigation is continuing into what caused MH-60S helicopter to crash into the sea off the coast of San Diego on Tuesday.

The United States Navy’s Pacific Fleet has declared dead five crew members who went missing after their military helicopter crashed into the sea off the coast of San Diego, California, earlier this week. In a statement on Saturday, the fleet said it had “shifted from search and rescue efforts to recovery operations” after the MH-60S helicopter crashed into the Pacific on August 31. The move comes after more than 72 hours of rescue efforts involving 34 search-and-rescue flights and at least 170 hours of flight time involving five search helicopters and constant surface vessel search, the statement read.