Two dead after medical helicopter crashes near Catalina Island

A medical helicopter crashed into the ocean near Catalina Island on Wednesday evening, killing at least two people, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Rescue crews recovered people from the water while searching for another person reported aboard, and the final toll was not yet clear in the available updates. The department said two people were pronounced dead at the scene. It reported that four people had been recovered from the water and that a search was continuing for a fifth person believed to have been aboard. Reports differed on how many people had been rescued or located and whether anyone had been transported for treatment, so those figures do not establish a final outcome for everyone on board. The U.S. Coast Guard, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Avalon Fire joined the response. The Coast Guard said it deployed a response boat and helicopter crew to assist with the search. Los Angeles County Fire said it sent helicopters and divers after receiving reports of a helicopter down near the island. Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn said the helicopter crashed shortly after taking off from Catalina Island.