Helikopter - Ulykke offshore USA - Single engine

2 bodies found in Gulf of Mexico helicopter crash search area



Photo of a Bell 206L4 helicopter, similar to the one reported to have crashed into the Gulf of Mexico 60 miles south of Timbalier Bay on Wednesday. (Bell Helicopter)

A dive team found two bodies Thursday in the area being searched for a helicopter that sank a day earlier, but it was not clear whether the bodies were those of the helicopter's two occupants, the Coast Guard said.

Officials with the helicopter's owner, Westwind Helicopters Inc. of Santa Fe, Texas, confirmed recovery of the bodies in a statement Thursday.

"Two people, the pilot and a passenger, were on board and sustained fatal injuries. The deceased have been recovered thanks to the tireless efforts of U.S. Coast Guard first responders and others on the scene," the company said in a statement.

Identities of the deceased were not released. The company said it would release further information Friday.

The helicopter crashed and sank Wednesday afternoon in the Gulf of Mexico about 60 miles south of Terrebonne Bay.