Missing helicopter found in California, but search continues for 5 Marines

A search and rescue operation located a Marine Corps military helicopter Wednesday that went missing in a snowy and mountainous area east of San Diego, but authorities said they were still looking for five Marines who were on board the aircraft.

The aircraft was located by civil authorities in Pine Valley, about 44 miles east of San Diego, according to a statement from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. It did not say why it went missing. The Marine Corps unit said in an earlier statement that the helicopter, a CH-53E Super Stallion, an aircraft used to carry heavy vehicles, cargo and personnel, was flying from Creech Air Force Base in Nevada to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego on Tuesday when it was “reported overdue.”

The search for the helicopter included the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, the Marines and Civil Air Patrol teams, said Lt. Matthew Carpenter, a spokesperson for the department.

The search-and-rescue units were working in bad weather with snow and low cloud coverage, he said.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.