Search-and-rescue crews are looking for seven Marines and four soldiers after an Army helicopter crashed late Tuesday during a routine night training exercise in the Florida Panhandle.
Eglin Air Force Base spokesman Andy Bourland told the Associated Press that the helicopter was reported missing at around 8:30 p.m. local time and crews found debris from the crash at around 2 a.m. Wednesday.
Bourland said the names of those involved in the crash are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
Base officials say the Marines are part of a special operations group based at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, and the soldiers are from a Hammond, Louisiana-based National Guard unit.
The helicopter went down on a remote swath of beach between Pensacola and Destin. The beach is owned by the military and is used for test missions. Military police keep a close watch on the area and have been known to run off private vendors who rent jet skis or paddle boards without permission.
Test range manager Glenn Barndollar told The Associated Press in August that the beach provides an ideal training area for special operations units from all branches of the military to practice over the water, on the beach and in the bay.
The military sometimes drops trainees over the water using boats or helicopters and the trainees must make their way onshore.
Bourland said the helicopter took off from Destin's airport and joined other aircraft in the exercise.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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