Search for copters’ 12 Marines halted

KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii — Officials on Tuesday suspended their search for 12 Marines aboard two helicopters that crashed off Hawaii last week.

The around- the- clock effort failed to find any sign of the 12 service members despite five days of searching by several agencies.

Officials said at a late afternoon news conference that the search would be suspended at sundown and the Marine Corps would transition to “recovery and salvage” efforts. A memorial is tentatively planned for Friday at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay.

“The decision to suspend the search without finding survivors is particularly difficult,” said Capt. James Jenkins, chief of staff and acting commander of the Coast Guard 14th District in Honolulu.

The search began late Thursday when a civilian on a beach reported seeing the helicopters flying and then a fireball.

The Marines were alerted when the CH- 53E helicopters, each carrying six crew members, failed to return to the base at Kaneohe Bay after a nighttime training mission.

The crash was near the north shore, but the search area spanned from the western coast of Oahu to the northeast corner of the island.

The transport helicopters were part of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing at Marine Corps Base Hawaii.