Some human remains have washed ashore near a Florida military base where seven Marines and four soldiers were missing after an Army helicopter crashed during a nighttime training mission, U.S. military officials said Wednesday.
A spokeswoman for Eglin Air Force Base on the Florida coast did not provide details on the remains.
"This is still considered a search and rescue mission," spokeswoman Sara Vidoni said in a statement, adding that heavy fog hampered search efforts.
One of two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters participating in the routine exercise crashed near the base 50 miles east of Pensacola, and rescue workers discovered debris at about 2 a.m. Wednesday, base spokesman Andy Bourland said.
A U.S. military official, speaking on condition on anonymity, said the 11 service members aboard were presumed dead.
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Bourland said the helicopter was believed to have gone down over water during the mission. He said he did not know how fog in the area affected visibility.
The Marines were part of a special operations unit from Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, while the air crew and helicopter belonged to the Louisiana Army National Guard, Bourland said.
The second helicopter landed safely, Bourland said. Names of the missing troops were being withheld pending notification of next of kin, said Bourland.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the Marines, soldiers and family members of those involved in this mishap," said Major General Joseph Osterman, commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command. "We are working closely with all parties involved to locate our Marines and the Army air crew as soon as possible."
