US Navy helicopter declares emergency over Red Sea near Saudi Arabia

A US Navy helicopter declared an emergency over the Red Sea near Saudi Arabia on Monday before disappearing from publicly available flight-tracking data.

The “Sikorsky” MH-60R Seahawk, flying under the call sign VVHR512, issued the emergency at about 5:20 p.m. ET near Yanbu, on Saudi Arabia’s western coast, according to the tracking data.

The aircraft was shown at an altitude of about 475 feet when the emergency was declared. Its displayed altitude later fell to zero before it disappeared from the tracking service.

As of Monday evening, the US Navy had not publicly confirmed the incident or provided details about the helicopter’s crew or condition. The reason for the emergency was also unknown.

Some social media reports suggested the helicopter may have crashed, but no official confirmation of a crash was available.