The Marine Corps said Thursday that five Marines were killed in a plane crash Wednesday afternoon off the coast of California.
Major Mason Englehart confirmed to CBS News that the MV-22 Osprey, owned by the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, crashed in a desert area near Glamis, California. The accident happened around 12:25 pm local time.
“We mourn the loss of our Marines in this tragic accident,” said Maj. Gen. Bradford Jr. Kering said in a statement Thursday. “Our hearts go out to their family and friends as they deal with this tragedy.”
The military says the identities of service members will not be announced to their next of kin and released within 24 hours.
Authorities said work had begun to recover equipment from the rubble and an investigation was underway.
Earlier, the naval aviation facility El Centro said, “Contrary to initial reports, there were no nuclear materials on board.”
Chlamydia is located in the rural Imperial County, about 50 miles north of the US-Mexico border.
Englehard said the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing comes from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, while the Aspray Marine Corps Air Station operates from Camp Bentley. Both are in neighboring San Diego County.
The cause of the accident is not clear.
The Aspray is a tilter aircraft used to move troops and supplies. To the Navy. You can take off and land like a helicopter, but you can also fly like an airplane.
Prior to Wednesday’s crash, the Los Angeles Times reported that Aspray crashes caused 46 deaths.
Most recently, four Marines were killed in a Marine Corps Osprey crash on March 18 near a Norwegian city in the Arctic Circle while participating in NATO exercises. In 2017, three sailors were killed in an MV-22B Osprey crash in Queensland, Australia. In 2015, a Marine was killed and 21 were injured in an MV-22 Osprey fire during a “hard landing” in Hawaii.
Aspray is a joint venture between Bell Helicopter Textron and Boeing.
Its development was marked by fatal accidents, including the April 2000 crash that killed 19 Marines in Arizona.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
