7 Missing in Philippine Crash

ZAMBOANGA, Philippines â€”  A U.S. general said Friday that no survivors have been located from a helicopter that crashed into the sea with 10 U.S. military personnel aboard during an anti-terrorism campaign in the southern Philippines.

“We have found no survivors . . . and there are seven personnel that are still unaccounted for,� said Brig. Gen. Donald Wurster, head of U.S. forces participating in a joint exercise with Philippine troops. “We hope they are alive, and we are doing everything with our Philippine friends to find them.�

The bodies of three people who had been aboard the MH-47 Chinook were recovered from the deep, shark-infested Mindanao Sea. The search for seven others was continuing, officials said.

Philippine Gen. Roy Cimatu, chief of this country’s Southern Command, had said earlier that three survivors had been rescued by vessels in the area. That erroneous report apparently spread when witnesses mistook rescuers from a second helicopter for the crash victims.

Fishermen in the area said the doomed helicopter appeared to catch fire before it hit the water. Officials said there was no sign that hostile fire brought down the copter.

“There was no indication of anything amiss before this thing happened,� Wurster told reporters at a military base here. “All we know is that the helicopters were flying back from a routine transit mission and one of them crashed for an unknown reason.�

Eight crew members and two military passengers were aboard the helicopter that went down.

Both Chinooks were taking part in a joint exercise aimed at eradicating the Islamic rebel gang Abu Sayyaf on Basilan island in the southern Philippines.

The gang, which has been holding U.S. missionaries Martin and Gracia Burnham hostage since May, is said to have ties to Osama bin Laden.

For the military exercises, which could last up to a year, 160 U.S. Special Forces troops have been deployed to Basilan island in the first expansion of the U.S. war against terrorism beyond Afghanistan. An additional 500 U.S. troops will provide support for the operation from Zamboanga and the central city of Cebu.

Unlike other war games, the U.S. forces are armed for self-defense and will accompany Philippine troops in the combat zone during what officials describe as training missions on Basilan.

The two helicopters had just finished transporting the last of the Special Forces troops and equipment to Basilan. The aircraft were returning to Mactan air base near Cebu when the crash occurred about 2:30 a.m. Friday.

“We’re going to search for survivors until we figure out that there are none,� Wurster said.

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Special correspondent Jacinto reported from Zamboanga and staff writer Paddock from Jakarta, Indonesia.