The U.S. Marines said search-and-rescue operations for five Marines reported missing after a plane crash off the coast of Japan have ended after the missing crew members were declared deceased.
The next-of-kin for the five Marines have been notified, a release said.
One of the five Marines reported missing was Maximo Flores, a 27-year-old Valley native, his family says.
In a post on a verified Marines Facebook page Lt. Gen. Eric M. Smith writes, “Every possible effort was made to recover our crew and I hope the families of these selfless Americans will find comfort in the incredible efforts made by US, Japanese and Australian forces during the search.”
He added that the KC-130J flight data and cockpit voice recorders have not been found so they can’t speculate about wreckage recovery.
Two other Marines were rescued last week and one has since died.