2 men missing after helicopter crashes near Kent Island

A search is underway for two men who were aboard a helicopter that crashed near Kent Island at the US state of Maryland on Saturday.

The crash was witnessed at around 12:30 pm by the brother of one of the men on board who had been boating in the vicinity, Coast Guard spokeswoman Corinne Zilnicki said.

Zilnicki added that the names of the missing men could not be released because their family members are yet to be informed about the incident.

The Coast Guard got the report of the crash at around 12:30 pm (local time), following which, he deployed two search boats to the scene from its station in Annapolis, reported The Washington Post.

The chopper was a white Cabri G2, a two-seat French-made aircraft. "The helicopter is submerged, but there's debris," Zilnicki said.

Federal Aviation Administration, the National Transportation Safety Board, as well as the Anne Arundel Fire Department's dive team and other agencies are on the scene to investigate the incident.