Rescue crews rushed to the Catalina Island coastline after a helicopter crashed in the ocean on Wednesday night.
Rescue crews are continuing search efforts on Thursday for a missing person after a medical helicopter crashed in the ocean off the Catalina Island coastline.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department said it dispatched helicopters and divers at around 7:50 p.m. on Wednesday, shortly after receiving the initial reports of the crash. Five people were aboard the flight, according to LA County Fire.
The U.S. Coast Guard said two people died at the scene, two people were hospitalized and one woman is still missing.
LA County Sheriff Robert Luna said the two people who died were the pilot and a nurse. He added that the two people hospitalized were a medic and another man.
In an update on Thursday, the Coast Guard said that teams have been working overnight to locate the missing woman, who was being transported to the mainland for additional medical treatment. Luna added that the missing person is the patient seeking medical treatment. Crews are unsure if she is still in the helicopter wreckage.
"In regard to search and rescue versus recovery, because we haven't specifically found a victim in the helicopter that we've seen thus far, I still keep a little optimism that we are still searching for somebody," Luna said. "But the reality is highly unlikely."
LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said dive teams located the wreckage 218 feet below sea level.
USCG Capt. Stacey Crecy said weather conditions were favorable and crews will continue search-and-rescue operations through the day. Crews plan to expand their search area to find the final passenger.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it will investigate the crash, adding that the helicopter that went down was a Eurocopter EC 135 P2.
The LA County Sheriff's Department said the helicopter belonged to Reach Air Medical Services.
Flight tracking data showed a Reach Air Medical Services helicopter taking off from Oceanside in San Diego County at 6:40 p.m. and landing on Catalina Island at 7:04 p.m.
LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn said she is heartbroken for the families of the people who lost their lives in the crash.
"The people onboard this helicopter dedicated their careers to saving lives," Hahn wrote in a statement. "They are heroes, and this is a terrible loss not just for Catalina but for our County."
A Reach spokesperson said the company was grieving the loss of their colleagues and offered their condolences to their families on Thursday.
"We are heartbroken by the tragic helicopter accident involving a REACH Air Medical Services aircraft. This is an incredibly difficult situation, and our hearts are with everyone affected by this tragedy," the spokesperson wrote.