Navy Ends Search for Missing Crew Member After Arabian Sea Helicopter Crash

The U.S. Navy suspended the search for a missing crew member after an MH-60 Sea Hawk helicopter crashed into the Arabian Sea on Wednesday. The Navy said three other crew members were rescued soon after the aircraft made an emergency landing in the water on July 1 during a routine patrol. Officials stated the helicopter was not shot down by hostile fire, and the crash cause remains under investigation. In a Sunday statement, the Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain reported that Navy and Air Force personnel searched more than 14,000 square miles for over 100 hours before calling off the operation. The missing sailor’s death brings the war-related fatalities total to 14 service members. The article also cited earlier deaths in March tied to drone and attack incidents, along with a midair collision involving KC-135 Stratotankers, and said Central Command reported more than 400 injuries, with over 90% returned to duty.