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CNN Live Today

U.S. Troops, Iraqis Search for Americans

Aired January 26, 2004 - 10:09   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: In Iraq, a more urgent search is under way. U.S. forces and Iraqis are searching the Tigris River for a soldier washed away from a capsized boat and the two pilots of the helicopter that crashed during the rush to find him.
Our Michael Holmes is in Baghdad, and he joins us now with the latest.

Michael -- hello.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi to you, Daryn.

Yes, this is what the military calls a non-hostile incident. To you and me, it was an accident.

What happened was that U.S. forces and Iraqi police were conducting a joint river patrol on the Tigris in Mosul, in the north. And one of the U.S. boats capsized. There were four U.S. servicemen on board. Three of them were fairly quickly rescued. The fourth went missing.

Now, they called in two U.S. helicopters to assist in the search, and then one of those helicopters crashed into the river. The two pilots are now missing also.

So, that's three total missing there. There is a recovery effort under way. U.S. troops working with Iraqi police and firemen to check the river to try to recover the bodies or, they are hoping, for survivors -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Michael Holmes in Baghdad. Thank you for that.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.






Aired January 26, 2004 - 10:09   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: In Iraq, a more urgent search is under way. U.S. forces and Iraqis are searching the Tigris River for a soldier washed away from a capsized boat and the two pilots of the helicopter that crashed during the rush to find him.
Our Michael Holmes is in Baghdad, and he joins us now with the latest.

Michael -- hello.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi to you, Daryn.

Yes, this is what the military calls a non-hostile incident. To you and me, it was an accident.

What happened was that U.S. forces and Iraqi police were conducting a joint river patrol on the Tigris in Mosul, in the north. And one of the U.S. boats capsized. There were four U.S. servicemen on board. Three of them were fairly quickly rescued. The fourth went missing.

Now, they called in two U.S. helicopters to assist in the search, and then one of those helicopters crashed into the river. The two pilots are now missing also.

So, that's three total missing there. There is a recovery effort under way. U.S. troops working with Iraqi police and firemen to check the river to try to recover the bodies or, they are hoping, for survivors -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Michael Holmes in Baghdad. Thank you for that.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.