Search suspended in effort to locate offshore helicopter crash victims

Search and rescue efforts for four missing in an offshore helicopter crash were suspended on Friday.

Petty Officer Jose Hernandez, a spokesperson for the Coast Guard’s 8th District, stated the search will not resume unless new information, such as additional debris or a body, is received.

“Once a case is suspended it basically means that we will stop searching until we find any new information that would actually help us with the search,” Hernandez told NBC on Friday.

On Thursday, the U.S. Coast Guard responded to a helicopter crash and began searching for four passengers about 10 miles off the Plaquemines Parish shores.

The helicopter pilot was reported to have just picked up three workers and was departing from an offshore oil platform when the crash occurred.

According to Hernandez, weather conditions didn’t appear to be a factor in causing the crash. A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board is expected in a few weeks.

Officials have stated parts of the helicopter wreckage have been recovered, but so far there have been no signs of the missing occupants.

The crash is not considered a closed case.