Official: 11 service members missing in crash presumed dead

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AP) — Seven Marines and four soldiers aboard an Army helicopter that crashed over waters off Florida during a routine night training mission were presumed dead today, and crews found human remains despite heavy fog hampering search efforts, military officials said.

A Pentagon official said all 11 service members were presumed dead and that the Coast Guard found debris in the water. The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the official wasn't authorized to speak on the record.

Human remains had washed ashore, but crews still considered it a search-and-rescue mission, said Sara Vidoni, a military spokeswoman for Eglin Air Force Base, outside Pensacola.

The helicopter — a UH-60 Black Hawk from the Army National Guard — was reported missing around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, and crews found debris around 2 a.m., said Andy Bourland, a spokesman for Eglin Air Force Base, outside Pensacola.

Much of the area was enveloped in fog from Tuesday evening to this morning, said Katie Moore with the National Weather Service in Tallahassee. Much of that time, the visibility was at two miles or less, she said.

The fog created low visibility even as the sun came up, and the area was under a fog advisory.