(LEESBURG, Fla.) — One person is confirmed dead and no survivors have been found after a firefighting helicopter crashed into a Florida marsh on Tuesday, authorities said.
The crash occurred around 4 p.m. near Leesburg Airport in central Florida during a training exercise, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Four people were on board the Sikorsky UH-60 firefighting helicopter, the agency said.
There is one confirmed death at this time, the Leesburg Fire Department, which responded to the scene, said in a statement around 9 p.m. Tuesday.
“The crash appears to be a total loss,” the department said. “No survivors have been located.”
A fire at the scene has been largely brought under control, and the U.S. Forest Service was working to prevent any vegetation fires, the Leesburg Fire Department said.
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation of the crash.
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