The seven special forces Marines who died in the crash were identified Friday:
* Capt. Stanford Henry Shaw III of Basking Ridge, New Jersey
* Master Sgt. Thomas Saunders of Camp Lejeune
* Staff Sgt. Liam Flynn of Queens, New York
* Staff Sgt. Trevor P. Blaylock of Lake Orion, Michigan
* Staff Sgt. Kerry Michael Kemp of Port Washington, Wisconsin
* Staff Sgt. Andrew Seif of Holland, Michigan
* Staff Sgt. Marcus Bawol from Warren, Michigan.
The AP reported:
All were from the 2nd Special Operations Battalion of the Marine Corps Special Operations Command stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
Four Louisiana National Guard soldiers also died in the crash. Their names have yet been released.
One of the marines who died in the helicopter crash, Staff Sgt. Andrew Seif, was a decorated member of the crew, having received several navy crosses and stars throughout his career.
MARSOC Marine, Staff Sgt. Andrew Seif, receives Silver Star Medal. #AlwaysFaithfulAlwaysFoward
In a press conference on Thursday, Eglin Air Force Base Col. Monte Cannon announced the crews investigating the military helicopter crash had transitioned from search and rescue to recovery and safety investigation.
"At this point, we are not hopeful for survivors," he said, adding that the cause of the crash was yet to be determined.
Cannon did not release the names of the marines and soldiers who were on board the helicopter when it went down.
The identity of a Marine who is presumed to have died in a military helicopter crash in the Florida Panhandle on Wednesday has been revealed by his family, Wisconsin's ABC-afflicated WISN 12 News reported.
The family told the network that U.S. Marine Kerry Kemp — a Port Washington native —was killed in the crash. Nothing regarding the identity of those involved in the crash has been officially released by the military as yet.
Kemp was stationed in North Carolina. There has been an outpouring of support for Kemp's family on Facebook, WISN 12 News said.
BuzzFeed News' report on Wednesday's crash follows below.
Seven Marines and four soldiers are presumed dead after a helicopter crash in Florida, according to officials at United States Air Force.
"We have found some human remains," Eglin Air Force Base spokesman Andy Bourland told NBC News.
The missing crew were part of a two-chopper team carrying out night exercises near the base on the Florida panhandle, the military said in a prepared statement. All of the missing service members were in one of the helicopters — the second returned safely.
Officials told the Associated Press at the base said the soldiers were from a National Guard unit based in Hammond, Louisiana. The Marines were part of a special operations group based out of Camp Lejeune, the Air Force said.
The helicopter was reported missing around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.
"Debris from the aircraft was located by search and rescue team at about 2 a.m. this morning," according to the Air Force.
The crew were carrying out a routine training mission between Pensacola and Destin, on a remote swath of beach used by the military for test purposes.
Bourland told AP it was too early to determine the cause of the crash. However, the said there had been "weather issues" overnight and limited visibility due to darkness and fog.
After searching throughout Wednesday, crews took an "operational pause" around 9 p.m., NBC News reported.
3/11/2015 - EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Two Ch-60 aircraft assigned to the Hammond, La Army National Guard were participating in a training exercise over night. One aircraft with four aircrew and seven Marines assigned to Camp LaJeune, N.C, was involved in an accident near Eglin range site A-17, east of the Navarre Bridge.The helicopter was reported missing at about 8:30 p.m. March 10. Debris from the aircraft was located by search and rescue team at about 2 a.m. this morning. Search and rescue efforts are underway at the accident site currently.The second helicopter and its personnel on board have returned and are accounted for at this time. The aircraft are assigned to the 1-244th Assault Helicopter Battalion in Hammond, Louisiana. They were participating in a routine training mission involving the Marine Special Operations Regiment from Camp LeJeune.Names of the aircrew and Marines on board are being withheld pending NOK notification. The accident is under investigation. Additional details will be provided as they become available.
WEAR ABC in Florida posted this photo of wreckage washing ashore.
#BREAKING: Images of wreckage coming in. Latest info here: http://t.co/t7arCxzg9e
Military personnel search for wreckage of the helicopter under heavy fog.
Kim Urr, who works near where the helicopter went down, told the Associated Press she heard a loud sound "like something metal either being hit or falling over," followed by two explosions.
"We knew immediately that something was not right. We listened for sirens, but there were no sirens. Then this morning, we heard a lot of sirens," she said.
Speaking a news conference Wednesday afternoon, Major General Glenn Curtis, the adjutant general for the Louisiana National Guard, said the mission was still in search and rescue mode. He declined to say when the mission would switch its focus to recovery.
The unit that went down, he added, was "very experienced," having been deployed to multiple natural disasters in the U.S., as well as to Iraq in 2004-5, and then again 2008-9.
"They're a great unit, they have a great history," Curtis said.
He declined to release any identities out of respect of their family, but did say that the soldiers were all men and from Louisiana.
This is a developing story. Please check BuzzFeed News on Twitter for the latest updates.