At least 4 dead after Marine Corps aircraft crashes in California

At least four people on board a Marine Corps aircraft are dead after the helicopter crashed in southeast California on Wednesday, according to local reports. 

An aircraft belonging to 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, based out of San Diego, crashed about 30 miles north of the Mexican border, near Highway 78 and the town of Glamis, Calif., Naval Air Facility El Centro confirmed on its Facebook page.  

Local firefighters, sheriff deputies and military personnel responded to the scene, in a remote area near the border with Arizona. 

The Los Angeles Times reported that emergency responder radio calls from the scene indicated there may have been nuclear materials on board the helicopter.

The Marine Corps later debunked those speculations, saying in a statement that “contrary to initial reports, there was no nuclear material on board the aircraft.” 

The Times had also been told by a federal source that there were five people aboard the helicopter, with four confirmed dead.