According to local reports the public affairs manager for the Federal Aviation Administration Ian Gregor confirmed the helicopter was military.

The helicopter is capable of carrying up to 60 people but in a statement the Marine Corps said the status of all four crew members is “presumed dead pending positive identification”.

The cause of the crash is being investigated and the names of the deceased will not be released until the family have been notified.

The official page of Naval Air Facility El Centro wrote: “We are currently still responding to what we have confirmed as a single helicopter incident.

“We ask that you continue to be patient with us as the situation unfolds.”