BRISBANE, Australia: Australian police Saturday said debris from a military helicopter that crashed into the Pacific Ocean a day before had been found.
However, after a night and day of searching, there was still no sign of the four missing crew members.
“We have located a number of items of debris that would appear to be from the missing helicopter,” said Queensland Police Superintendent Douglas McDonald. “At this time, it remains a search and rescue operation.”
Australia earlier halted major military drills with the US after the helicopter taking part in the exercise crashed.
According to Australia’s Defense Minister Richard Marles, the MRH-90 Taipan went down late Friday night in sub-tropical waters near Hamilton Island, Queensland.
The helicopter had been participating in the vast Talisman Sabre exercise, which features 30,000 military personnel from Australia, the United States and several other countries.
“As we speak to you now, the four aircrew are yet to be found” Marles said after a nearly overnight search, which is continuing today (Saturday). According to a news agency, all four of the crew aboard the helicopter were Australian.
“The families of the four aircrew have been notified of this incident and our hopes and thoughts are very much with the aircrew and their families,” Marles added.
“We desperately hope for better news during the course of this day.”
Officials are yet to say a word on what caused the incident, which came as the Talisman Sabre exercise was entering its second week. Germany, Japan, France and South Korea are also taking part in the drills.
It is not yet clear whether the drills due to end on August 4 will resume.
