The United States Navy has declared the five missing
sailors, who went missing after a helicopter crash nearly a week ago in the
Pacific Ocean, dead and shifted the search for them to a recovery operation on
Saturday.

The move comes after more than 72 hours of coordinated
rescue efforts and nearly three dozen search and rescue flights to look for the
wreckage, the Navy’s Pacific fleet said in a statement on Saturday.

The Navy has withheld the names of the sailors until it
notifies their next of kin.

Also injured on Tuesday were five other sailors who were on
board the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier where the MH-60S helicopter was
operating on the deck before the crash, the Associated Press reported.

“They were in stable conditions as of Saturday,” AP quoted
Lt. Samuel R. Boyle, a spokesman for the Pacific fleet, as saying.

An investigation has been launched into what caused the
crash about 70 miles (112 kilometers) off San Diego, but the fact that sailors
aboard the carrier were injured raised questions about whether the helicopter
or parts of it hit the Lincoln. When helicopters take off and land on the ship,
there are ground crews present on the carrier nearby and other people working
on deck.

The helicopter crashed during what the Navy described only
as routine flight operations.

The MH-60S helicopter typically carries a crew of about four
and is used in missions including combat support, humanitarian disaster relief
and search and rescue.

The helicopter entered service in February 2002 and it began
full-rate production in August 2002. The first deployment of the new helicopter
took place onboard USS Essex, Wasp Class amphibious assault ship, in January
2003 and a number of MH-60S helicopters were deployed in support of Operation
Iraqi Freedom.

The aircraft belongs to the Navy’s Helicopter Sea Combat
Squadron 8.