Washington, Oct 18 (V7N) - The wreckage of a U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler fighter jet that crashed in Washington state has been located, but search teams have yet to find the two crew members who were on board during the incident.

The crash site, situated on a mountainside east of Mount Rainier, was identified by the Navy on Wednesday afternoon. An emergency response center has been established at the naval air station Whidbey Island, north of Seattle, to coordinate the search efforts and secure the remote area.

The Growler was conducting a routine training flight when it went down on Tuesday afternoon. The aircraft is part of Electronic Attack Squadron 130, known as the "Zappers." The Navy deployed a search team, including an MH-60S helicopter, shortly after the aircraft crashed around 3:20 p.m. PT.

Search operations continued into Tuesday night, hampered by challenging mountainous terrain, cloudy weather, and low visibility. The wreckage was finally tracked at approximately 12:30 p.m. PT on Wednesday, in an area that is not accessible by motor vehicles.

The cause of the crash is currently under investigation, and the identities of the missing crew members have not yet been released.

Electronic Attack Squadron 130 is the Navy's oldest electronic warfare squadron, first commissioned in 1959. The squadron recently returned from a nine-month combat deployment aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, where it conducted operations in the southern Red Sea.

The EA-18G Growler, built by Boeing, is valued at $67 million and is a variant of the F/A-18 Super Hornet, with its first flight occurring in 2006.

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