SACRAMENTO (AP) — California Governor Jerry Brown says flags are flying at half-staff to honor the Marines killed in this week’s helicopter collision.

The governor issued a statement saying the flags were at half-staff Saturday over the Capitol Sacramento in tribute to the seven Marines killed when their helicopters collided during a training exercise.

The statement says Brown and wife Anne Gust Brown extend their deepest condolences to the loved ones of the victims, and will send a letter to each Marine’s family.

All seven men aboard were killed when the AH-1 Cobra and UH-1 Huey helicopters collided Wednesday night in the remote desert along the California-Arizona border. It was the Marine Corps’ deadliest aviation training accidents in years.

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