ZAMBOANGA, Philippines >> All 10 U.S. servicemen aboard a military helicopter that crashed two days ago in the southern Philippines are believed to be dead, an American general said today. No crash survivors,
official saysA memorial will be held for
the 10 U.S. servicemen lost in
the Philippine 'copter crashBy Oliver Teves
Associated Press"We have determined that there is no chance to find survivors," said Brig. Gen. Donald Wurster, head of a U.S. military contingent involved in a counterterrorism training exercise here with Philippine troops.
He said the rescue effort had shifted to a recovery mission at the crash site, in the Bohol Sea off Negros island.
"We have reached a difficult but necessary point in the ongoing search where we must transition from search-and-rescue operations to search-and-recovery operations," Wurster said in Zamboanga, home to the Philippine military's Southern Command.
At least three bodies were recovered during a search that includes three Navy ships, a Coast Guard vessel, six helicopters and nine motorized outriggers.
Wurster said a memorial will be held Tuesday in Cebu.
Officials had held out hope yesterday because the eight-man crew from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment at Fort Campbell, Ky., and two Air Force para-rescuers all were trained in water survival.
The MH-47E Chinook went down before dawn Friday after ferrying U.S. special forces and supplies from the southern Philippine city of Zamboanga to nearby Basilan island, where Abu Sayyaf rebels have been holding an American missionary couple and a Filipino nurse for nearly nine months.
The chopper was one of two returning to an air base on Mactan islet. Witnesses reported it was on fire as it fell and exploded when it hit the water.
A 600-strong U.S. military force arrived last month for a counterterrorism training exercise aimed at helping the Philippine military wipe out the Muslim extremist Abu Sayyaf group, which has been linked in the past to the al-Qaida terror network.
The Abu Sayyaf has been holding the three hostages for nearly nine months in the dense jungles of Basilan, the last of nearly 100 captives snatched since last May.
"Although we have lost 10 good men -- eight Army and two Air Force -- we will continue with our mission," Wurster said.
A team of U.S. military investigators has been dispatched from Fort Rucker, Ala., to find out what caused the crash. With Philippine officials ruling out hostile fire, speculation has focused on mechanical failure.