A helicopter crashed Thursday in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, just a few miles offshore of southeastern Louisiana. Four people on board the aircraft have yet to be found. 

The U.S. Coast Guard conducted an hours-long search before it called off its operation, USA Today reported.

According to Coast Guard's 8th District based in New Orleans, the helicopter was leaving an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico when it suddenly crashed. 

The reported crash site was in a channel 10 miles offshore of Southwest Pass, Louisiana, around 80 miles southeast of New Orleans. The helicopter is reportedly from the Rotorcraft Leasing Company, and it went down at around 8:40 a.m.

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Coast Guard Forced to Suspend Search for 4 Missing Aboard Crashed Helicopter

The U.S. Coast Guard's 8th District immediately responded and searched approximately 180 square miles near the crash site for around eight hours.

However, Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Keefe, the Coast Guard Sector New Orleans Search and Rescue Mission coordinator, noted that suspending the search was a difficult decision to make. 

He then expressed his "deepest sympathies and condolences" to the family and friends during this difficult time."

Coast Guard spokesperson Petty Officer Jose Hernandez noted that their search and rescue crews were not able to find any sign of the missing people. He added that "so far, we've only found debris and no people."

Hernandez also admitted that weather was not a factor why the Coast Guard had to suspend its search for the missing people, stating that there were no reports of storms in the area on Thursday.

According to the Associated Press, the crash is now being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board.

Who Were the Missing People Aboard the Crashed Helicopter in the Gulf of Mexico?

Of the four missing individuals, three were oil platform workers, while one was the helicopter's pilot. The oil platform was owned by a Houston, Texas-based company called Walter Oil and Gas.

Despite the massive oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico through the years, over 3,200 oil platforms still operate in the area. They range from single well caissons in water depths of 10 feet to those gigantic oil structures that drill up to almost 10,000 feet.

The only way in and out of these oil platforms is through helicopters, which routinely transport workers to and from the Gulf of Mexico.

One of the four missing men is David Scarborough, who lives in the Lizana community in Harrison County, Louisiana. His wife, Lacy Scarborough, spoke to the Sun Herald and told the local newspaper that she and her family are now praying for a miracle.

They were expecting a second son, with David returning to their home to celebrate the holidays together. Tragedy had already struck the family this year when the couple lost their eldest son, Sawyer, back in March due to drowning.

The identities of the other three missing people have yet to be disclosed.

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Written by: Rick Martin

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