U.S. searchers discovered the wreckage of a Marine helicopter in Nepal Friday and it appears all people on board the aircraft died in the apparent crash.
The helicopter went missing Tuesday with six Marines and two
Nepali soldiers on board, according to The Washington Post. Officials reported the aircraft missing as a 7.3-magnitude earthquake killed at least 100 people in Nepal, along with northern India and Tibet.
The helicopter was part of an aid mission to remote areas of Nepal affected by the April 25 earthquake in the country that killed more than 8,000 people, The Post noted.
U.S. Army Lt. Gen. John Wissler said in a news conference that he believed it was "unlikely" any survivors would be found at the crash site in a forest near the
village of Charikot, according to the BBC News.
While the military has not released the names of the Marines involved in the crash,
Ron Norgren confirmed to the Wichita Eagle in Kansas that his son, Capt. Chris Norgren, was part of the crew. He said the last time they heard from him was on Mother's Day.
"I told him I was very proud of him, that he's over in Nepal helping people out and that he still remembered Mother's Day," Norgren said. "He said he was glad to hear I was doing so well. He texted me back and thanked me for the compliment and that was about it."
Marine Corps officials reportedly told the Norgren family Tuesday night that their son was officially missing and then reached out again on Wednesday to say there had been no progress in finding the helicopter, the elder Norgren told the Eagle.
"I know my son. He's a very determined individual, and I really truly believe he'll come out of it OK," he said.
Reuters reported that injuries from the April earthquake have reached about 76,000 with thousands of buildings heavily damaged. Aftershocks continue to shake the area. The news agency reported that some 600 joined in the search for the military helicopter over the week.
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