Rescue crews near Los Angeles searched Thursday for a person missing after a medical helicopter crashed Wednesday night off the coast of Santa Catalina Island, killing two people and hospitalizing two others.
The search started at about 7:50 p.m. off the shore of the island’s Pebbly Beach, roughly 50 miles south of Los Angeles, the Coast Guard said in a news release.
The missing person is the patient who was being medically evacuated, according to KNBC-TV. Authorities have not yet publicly identified any of the people who were on board.
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The helicopter is submerged about 240 feet deep off the coast of Santa Catalina Island, according to the Long Beach Post.
Coast Guard Capt. Stacey Crecy said Thursday that crews were “still doing an active search for the person who’s missing and then in addition to that, the divers and the remote-operated vehicle are going to get a look at more of the wreckage and hopefully if there’s a sunken fuselage … we’re hoping to get a better picture of that this morning,” according to the Long Beach Post.
During the initial search, rescue crews found two survivors, who have been hospitalized on the mainland, and two others who were declared dead. The Coast Guard did not specify the nature or severity of the survivors’ injuries.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department said on social media the helicopter crashed shortly after takeoff, though the department did not say what caused the crash.
The helicopter was operated by REACH Air Medical Services, a subsidiary of Global Medical Response.
In a statement, REACH Air Medical Services said they “are gathering information and coordinating with emergency responders and authorities” and “are unable to provide additional details at this stage and will share more information when it becomes available. Our immediate concern is for the well-being of those involved,” according to KABC-TV.
The National Transportation Safety Board said on social media that it is investigating the crash.
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