Bodies recovered from Marine helicopter crash site

LOS ANGELES — The bodies of four crew members killed when their Marine helicopter crashed during a training mission in the Southern California desert have been removed from the crash site, authorities said Wednesday.

The crew members were recovered late Tuesday and taken to a coroner’s facility, said Deputy Coroner Derrick Lindberg with the Imperial Valley Sheriff ’s Office.

The Marine Corps will take custody of the bodies to conduct autopsies, he said.

The CH-53E Super Stallion went down Tuesday afternoon in a desert area just outside El Centro, near the U.s.-mexico border.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

“It was pretty much a warm clear day,” said Chief Deputy Thomas Garcia with the Imperial Valley Sheriff ’s Office.

The helicopter was with the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing out of Miramar air station in San Diego.

The names of the crew members were expected to be released later Wednesday, 24 hours after their relatives were notified, said Capt. Morgan Frazer with the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. She said the squadron involved in the crash and other details also should be released.

The crash is the deadliest involving a Marine aircraft since a KC130T transport plane went down in Mississippi last July, killing 15 Marines and a sailor.