Blake Hall
Coast Guard search parties scouring the Pacific for 12 missing Marines who vanished after a tragic helicopter collision have found four inflated life rafts. Unfortunately, rescue teams have yet to locate a single survivor.
Last Friday, two CH-53 helicopters carrying six people each crashed in midair off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii during a nighttime training mission. The military immediately dispatched search parties to find the missing Marines, but turbulent waves and suspicious laser pointers hampered the investigation the entire weekend. The fifth day of searching is underway, but hope is not dwindling.
Four inflated life rafts have so far been spotted floating on the Pacific. Unfortunately, there was no evidence that a human being had actually climbed abord the rafts.
“There is no indication from the sightings that any survivors have been aboard any of the life rafts,” the Coast Guard said in a statement said.
Standard life rafts can be triggered in a variety of ways, including by debris that pull on their cords. It’s possible that they were inflated by accident during the
By Monday morning, the Coast Guard had conducted 89 searches across 24,000 square miles. Spokesmen said that the Coast Guard was assuming the best-case scenario that the missing Marines had the equipment and fortitude to survive.
“We err on the side of caution because the last thing that anybody wants is to suspend the search when there’s still a possibility of finding somebody,” Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Sara Mooers said. She added that some crash survivors have been found days and weeks after getting lost at sea.
The Marine Corps identified all 12 missing Marines over the weekend. They include:
Maj. Shawn M. Campbell
Cpl. Matthew R. Drown
Lance Cpl. Ty L. Hart
Cpl. Thomas J. Jardas
Capt. Brian T. Kennedy
Cpl. Christopher J. Orlando
Capt. Kevin T. Roche
Sgt. Adam C. Schoeller
Sgt. Dillon J. Semolina
Sgt. Jeffrey A. Sempler
Capt. Steven R. Torbert
Sgt. William J. Turner