Bodies of 6 Marines recovered from Pakistan crash

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Investigators have recovered six of seven bodies of U.S. Marines killed Wednesday when their KC-130 military refueling plane crashed in western Pakistan, U.S. military officials in Kandahar, Afghanistan, said Saturday.

The bodies will be transported to Ramstein Air Base in Germany and then to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, according to Maj. Brad Lowell, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command.

The recovery operation is ongoing, and the Marines said they are hopeful they will recover the other body.

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The victims were from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar north of San Diego, California, said Maj. T.V. Johnson.

The crash occurred Wednesday night as the plane approached the Marine base at Shamsi, just west of Quetta, Pakistan, according to Maj. Chris Hughes, a Marine Corps spokesman in Kandahar.

He said the plane was on a "multimission stop," and its final destination was the base at Shamsi. The plane had left from Jacobabad in central Pakistan.

The cause of the accident is under investigation. The Pentagon said there was no indication of enemy fire, but officials have not ruled it out.

The bodies will arrive Sunday at Ramstein and at Dover early next week. Upon arrival at Dover, the remains will undergo routine medical and identification exams.