Louisiana Sheriff: Search Underway After Helicopter Crash in Swampy Area

LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) — A sheriff says a civilian helicopter has crashed in southern Louisiana and authorities are searching for at least one person in the water.

Iberia Parish Sheriff Louis Ackal tells TV station KATC the crash happened Wednesday in the Atchafalaya Basin, a swampy area south of Baton Rouge. He says deputies, state Wildlife and Fisheries agents, and Coast Guard officials are working on a recovery.

U.S. Air Force public affairs specialist Mary McHale tells The Advocate a commercial helicopter doing a pipeline survey was reported missing late Wednesday afternoon. The FAA also says a helicopter that departed from Gonzales, Louisiana, was reported missing.