UPDATED: Wreck of Missing Camp Pendleton Marine Chopper, Bodies Found

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Updated at 1:20 a.m. May 15, 2015

By City News Service

The wreckage of a helicopter believed to have crashed while carrying six U.S. Marines and two Nepalese soldiers was reported to have been found on a Himalayan hillside in Nepal.

Initial reports by CNN indicate three charred bodies were found in the wreckage.

The helicopter, based at Camp Pendleton and attached to Marine Light Helicopter Squadron 469, was reported found by the Nepalese army outside the capital of Kathmandu.

The Nepalese defense minister said early Friday that rescuers had found three bodies near the helicopter.

One of the missing crewmen has been identified by a NBC affiliate as Eric Seaman of Murrieta.

There were reports early Friday, May 15, that a Camp Pendleton Marine helicopter reported missing while on a humanitarian mission this week has been found, wrecked in some mountains northeast of Kathmandu, the Los Angeles Times reported.

• Camp Pendleton Helicopter, Marines Missing in Nepal

• Still no Sign of Camp Pen Marines, Chopper Missing in Nepal

The chopper, which belongs to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469, went missing hours after a magnitude-7.3 earthquake struck midway between Kathmandu and Mount Everest.

To read the L.A. Times story, please click here