EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. — Human remains and helicopter parts were recovered Wednesday after seven Marines and four soldiers crashed in heavy fog during military training in Florida.
All 11 service members were presumed dead after the the Army National Guard’s UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter went down offshore, a Pentagon official said.
Kim Urr, 62, who works at the nearby Navarre Beach campground, said she heard a strange sound, followed by two explosions about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.
“It sounded like something metal either being hit or falling over, that’s what it sounded like. And there were two booms afterward, similar to what you hear with ordnance booms, but more muffled,” Urr said.
President Barack Obama spoke with military leaders and expressed his condolences to the families before saying he is confident of a detailed and thorough investigation, said his spokesman, Josh Earnest.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families as the search and rescue continues,” said Defense Secretary Ashton Carter.
The Black Hawk crashed as Marines and National Guardsmen practiced “insertion and extraction missions,” using small boats and helicopters to get troops into and out of a target site, said Capt. Barry Morris, spokesman for the Marine Corps Special Operations Command at Camp Lejeune.
Fog had reduced visibility to less than two miles at the time, according to the National Weather Service. Another helicopter participating in the training returned undamaged, authorities said.
