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 The MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter was on a training flight when it
crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Fort Story, about 150 miles
south of Washington, the Navy said in a statement.
A nearby Coast Guard cutter and two helicopters were sent to the
site after receiving a distress call at about 10:45 a.m. EST (1545
GMT), said Captain Todd Flannery, commander of Helicopter Sea Combat
Wing Atlantic, during an online news conference.
Two of the survivors are in stable condition at Sentara Norfolk
General Hospital, according to the Navy. A fifth crew member is
missing, Flannery said.
Neither the two pilots nor the three air crewmen have been
identified. Flannery said the cause of the crash was under
investigation.
The helicopter was part of an anti-mine squadron based at Norfolk,
Virginia.
(Reporting by Lacey Johnson; editing by Ian Simpson, Chizu Nomiyama,
Cynthia Osterman, Gunna Dickson and Lisa Shumaker)
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