Rescuers scouring the Pacific Ocean off the California coast have found the wreckage of a transport plane and helicopter that collided, but no sign of the nine people feared dead in the crash.
Remains of the Coast Guard C-130 plane and the Cobra helicopter belonging to the United States Marines were found near San Clemente Island, off the coast of San Diego in the state's southwest, AFP reports.
Rescuers said that no human remains had been spotted in the debris field on Saturday. The Pentagon says there is little hope of finding survivors.
Wreckage flotsam was found scattered over an 8km-by-19km area in a spot where the ocean is 610 metres deep, officials said.
Six Coast Guard cutters, three US Navy ships and various aircraft are involved in the search.
The Marine helicopter crew was heading to a nearby island, San Clemente, which is controlled by the navy, on a training mission. The planes collided after sundown, about 7.10pm local time on Thursday, officials said.
The aircraft were in a patch of airspace the Federal Aviation Administration has set aside for military exercises, and pilots are supposed to notify ground controllers when they enter the area.
Military officials said that the AH-1 Super Cobra helicopter was based at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, while the Coast Guard said that its HC-130 plane came from a base in the state capital Sacramento.
It is the third accident involving a military helicopter in the region this year.
