The 12 Marines missing following a crash involving two U.S. military helicopters of the coast of Hawaii last Thursday have now been declared deceased, the Marine Corps said.
The Associated Press reported that the service changed the status of the Marines from missing to deceased on Wednesday. A search for the missing service members, who were from various states, had been ongoing for five days. It is now more than a week after the search began.
The service has personally notified each of the missing Marines’ families of the status change.
The crash between the two CH-53 helicopters off the coast of Oahu occurred late last Thursday night. Each helicopter was carrying six crew members, who were engaged in a nighttime training mission. The Marine Corps confirmed the ongoing search last Friday. The aircraft belonged to the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing from Marine Corps Base Hawaii.
The Coast Guard located debris hours after the crash was reported. A Navy helicopter crew and the Honolulu Fire Department also assisted in the search.