Navy Lt. Karen Burzinski said rescue crews recovered three bodies Wednesday and continued the search for the other two crew members.
Officials said the SH60 Seahawk helicopter had taken off from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz before it went into the sea during a training exercise late Tuesday.
The crews of Coast Guard and Navy helicopters and of boats from several agencies had joined the search for the missing people.
The crash area was off the northwest Mexican coast, near the Coronado Islands.
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