|
 Two Coast Guard cutters and several Coast Guard aircraft were
searching, along with two U.S. Navy warships and local police and
fire department helicopters, the Coast Guard said.
A safety zone has been set up from the shoreline that matches up
with the accident site to 8 miles (13 km) out to sea, the Coast
Guard said.
"We've seen debris through the entire area," said Lieutenant Scott
Carr, a Coast Guard spokesman.
The CH-53E helicopters, belonging to the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing
from the Marine Corps Air Station at Kaneohe Bay, were on a routine
training mission when they were reported to have collided just
before midnight local time, Coast Guard spokeswoman Sara Mooers
said.
 The wide-ranging search for the Marines was hampered by high surf
and poor visibility from rain storms.
The rescue effort will continue on sea and air throughout the night,
though bad weather will continue to hamper the efforts, said Mooers.
"It does move things around and keeps us busy," Mooers said.
A Coast Guard helicopter crew spotted debris in the water off the
town of Haleiwa on the north shore of Oahu but they did not find
passengers.
The debris field spanned more than 7 miles off the coast, the Coast
Guard said.
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"Thoughts & prayers are with our Marines & their families in Hawaii
as search efforts continue," General Robert Neller, commandant of
the Marine Corps, said in a message on Twitter.
No distress call was issued by either aircraft. Authorities were
notified by a man standing on the beach who saw a fireball over the
ocean after seeing the helicopters flying in that area, Carr said at
a news conference.
(Additional reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles, Jon
Herskovitz in Texas, and Susan Heavey, David Alexander and Laila
Kearney in New York; Editing by Toni Reinhold, Lisa Shumaker and Kim
Coghill)
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