Two U.S. Marine Corps helicopters crash

(Washington-WABC, 2006) -- Two Marine Corps transport helicopters crashed Friday off the coast of Djibouti, the Pentagon said. A search-and-rescue mission was under way.

The status of the crews of the CH-53E helicopters was not known, said Lt. Cmdr. Joe Carpenter.

A CH-53E normally operates with a crew of between three and eight people.

Carpenter said there was no indication that hostile fire was involved. The helicopters were based at Camp Lemonier, a French military base that serves as headquarters for a U.S. military operation called Task Force Horn of Africa. The task force is designed to stop terrorist groups from infiltrating the region.

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