Divers have discovered the wreckage of the military helicopter that went down off the Florida panhandle this week during a training flight, and the 11 service members who were aboard are presumed dead, officials said Thursday.
They could not confirm the number of casualties during a press conference on Thursday, noting they are now in the recovery phase and dense fog is hampering search efforts.
{mosads}The helicopter was located using sonar in the middle of a sound in water about 25 feet deep.
“At this point we are not hopeful for survivors,” said Col. Monte Cannon of Eglin Air Force Base, according to Reuters.
“We have retrieved remains,” base fire chief Mark Giuliano said, according to CBS affiliate WWL, adding the crash showed signs of “high impact.”
Seven Marines from North Carolina and four soldiers from the Louisiana National Guard were aboard a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter that went missing during a training exercise on Tuesday night.
Officials have not released an official cause of the crash.