Marines from Kansas, Arizona were aboard helicopter in Nepal

Associated Press

PHOENIX

The people aboard a Marine helicopter that crashed in earthquake-ravaged Nepal included a military videographer from Arizona and a pilot from Kansas who was flying disaster-relief supplies.

Three bodies found near the wreckage had not yet been identified Friday. The helicopter was carrying six Marines and two Nepalese army soldiers.

Capt. Chris Norgren of Wichita, Kan., was a pilot on the helicopter that disappeared this week. He played high-school football in the state and worked on the student newspaper. Lance Cpl. Jacob “Jake” Hug of Phoenix also was on the helicopter. Family members told the Arizona Republic that Hug joined the Marines shortly after graduating high school and was based in Okinawa, Japan, while working as a combat videographer.

Lt. Gen. John Wissler, commander of a Marine-led joint task force, told reporters in Kathmandu that his team could not immediately determine the cause of the crash. The Huey helicopter that crashed was from Marine Light Attack Helicopter squadron 469 based at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Lt. Col. John Caldwell, a Marine Corps spokesman, said the military will not identify the victims until 24 hours after their families are notified.

The U.S. relief mission was deployed soon after a magnitude-7.8 quake hit April 25, killing more than 8,200 people.