Two people have died and two others have been injured after a medical helicopter crashed into the sea off Catalina Island, California, on Wednesday evening. A major search and rescue operation is underway to locate a fifth person.
Crash reported shortly before 8pm
The Los Angeles County Fire Department was alerted to the crash just before 8pm. Of the four people pulled from the water, two were transported to hospital while the other two were declared dead at the scene, according to the department.
The department said: "This remains an active scene with search and rescue operations continuing throughout the night."
Officials respond to the incident
County supervisor Janice Hahn said in a statement: "I have been informed that a medevac helicopter leaving Catalina Island has crashed shortly after takeoff. LA County Fire, Sheriff, Coast Guard, and Avalon Fire are on the scene. Search and rescue operations are underway and I am praying for everyone who was on board."
Flight monitoring information showed that a Reach Air Medical Services helicopter departed from Oceanside in San Diego County at 6:40pm and touched down on Catalina Island at 7:04pm. Reach acknowledged awareness of the incident but declined to provide further details, saying its primary concern was the wellbeing of those affected.
"Our immediate concern is for the well-being of those involved," a Reach spokesperson told CBS LA in a statement.
Search conditions described as ideal
The identities of the casualties or the missing individual have not been disclosed at this stage. US Coast Guard Commander Mark Leahey told NBC Los Angeles: "Conditions right now are actually calm on scene, so I would call them ideal search conditions. But there is a lot of debris from the crash. There is some fuel in the water also from the helicopter. But our crews train for this, so we're ready for the response."
