Three Rescued from US Navy Helicopter Crash in the Red Sea, Two Crew Members Still Missing (Update: Navy Calls off search for 2 Missing Crew Members)

Three crew members have been rescued after a US Navy helicopter crashed in the Red Sea Sunday. A MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter went down in the Red Sea according to reports; however, it is being said that the crash was not a result of any hostile activity. The incident is under investigation. The search efforts continue for the remaining two missing crew members.

Three crew members were safely rescued, but two are still missing after a U.S. Navy helicopter crashed in the Red Sea on Sunday during routine flight operations, military officials said.

The MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter, assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 6 — nicknamed the HSC Indians — went down in the Central Red Sea at about noon local time, according to an official with the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.

Three who went down with the helicopter were found in “stable” condition, according to the official.

The USS Nimitz is leading the search and rescue mission for the two remaining crew members who were aboard the helicopter with the aid of planes, helicopters and five additional ships, officials said.

UPDATE I: US Navy.mil – Three Recovered After Red Sea Helo Crash (Updated 5:00 p.m. EDT)

Three personnel are accounted for and stable. Search efforts continue for two remaining personnel.

Assisting in the search and rescue are USS Nimitz (CVN 68), USS William P. Lawrence, USS Princeton (CG 59), USS Shoup (DDG 86), USS Stockdale (DDG 106) and USNS Rainier (T-AOE 7) as well as MH-60S Knighthawks from HSC-6, and MH-60R Seahawks from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 75 and one P-3 from Patrol Squadron (VP) 47.

The crash was not due to any sort of hostile activity.

UPDATE II: Navy Calls off Search for two Missing Crew Members.

The U.S. Navy has called off a search for two missing crew members who were involved in a helicopter crash in the Red Sea on Sunday, saying it is unlikely that they survived.

The MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter was flying with the USS William P. Lawrence as part of a carrier group dispatched to the region amid Syria’s ongoing unrest, according to the AFP.