A medevac helicopter crashed into the waters off California’s Catalina Island on Wednesday night, leaving one of the five people aboard missing and sending the other four to hospitals, officials said.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department received the first reports of the crash shortly before 8 p.m.
Authorities quickly launched a search-and-rescue operation, with fire department helicopters and divers dispatched to the scene. The effort remained underway late Wednesday night.
A medevac helicopter crashed into the water off Catalina Island in California on Wednesday night. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
The U.S. Coast Guard also joined the response.
“I have been informed that a medevac helicopter leaving Catalina Island has crashed shortly after takeoff. L.A. County Fire, Sheriff, Coast Guard, and Avalon Fire are on the scene,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn said on X. “Search and rescue operations are underway, and I am praying for everyone who was on board.”
At least one of the five people on the helicopter was still unaccounted for late Wednesday, according to KTLA. Two people were taken to hospitals in stable condition, while the conditions of the other two were not immediately known.
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At least one of the five people aboard the helicopter remains unaccounted for as of late Wednesday night. (Photo by Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images)
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said two of the survivors were transported to a hospital on Catalina Island. The other two were taken to Ronald Reagan Medical Center at UCLA.
The helicopter’s flight plan was not immediately clear, the fire department said, according to CBS LA. Deputies identified the aircraft’s operator as Reach Air Medical Services.
The U.S. Coast Guard was among the agencies that responded to the crash. (iStock)
Flight-tracking data indicated that a Reach Air Medical Services helicopter left Oceanside in San Diego County at 6:40 p.m. and arrived on Catalina Island at 7:04 p.m.
Reach Air Medical Services confirmed it was aware of the incident but said it could not provide additional details.
“Our immediate concern is for the well-being of those involved,” a Reach spokesperson said in a statement to CBS LA.