Rescue crews rushed to the Catalina Island coastline after a medical helicopter crashed in the ocean on Wednesday night.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department said it dispatched helicopters and divers at around 7:50 p.m., shortly after receiving the initial reports of the crash. Five people were aboard the flight, according to LA County Fire.
Firefighters said two people died at the scene, two people were hospitalized and one person was missing.
Deputies said the conditions of the two who were injured weren’t known.
Rescue crews said the fifth person was still missing as of 9:40 p.m. The Coast Guard said the search for the missing person would continue through the night.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it would investigate the crash, adding that the helicopter that went down was a Eurocopter EC 135 P2.
LA County Fire said the helicopter’s flight plan was unclear. Deputies 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 wrote on X that the helicopter crashed shortly after taking off from the island roughly an hour later.
“Search and rescue operations are underway and I am praying for everyone who was on board,” Hahn wrote on X.
A Reach spokesperson said the company is aware of the incident but could not provide further information.
“Our immediate concern is for the well-being of those involved,” the spokesperson wrote in a statement.
