One US service member missing after helicopter goes down in Arabian Sea

One US service member is missing, and three others are wounded, but in stable condition after their MH-60S Seahawk helicopter made an emergency landing in the Arabian Sea, the US military says, adding that there is no indication the crash was caused by hostile action.

“US Navy assets in the region are currently searching for other aircrewmen still missing. The cause of the incident is under investigation,” the US Navy’s 5th Fleet said in a statement, adding that the helicopter was deployed to the region on the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier.

Helicopter water landings can be dangerous, even for experienced pilots, given the propensity of top-heavy aircraft to flip upside-down during submersion. US forces in the region are also on high alert amid periodic flare-ups in violence during the ceasefire between the US and Iran.