Los Angeles, Jun 10 (IANS): Five US Marines were killed after an MV-22B Osprey military aircraft crashed in the Southern California desert, an official statement said.

The Marines, who were based in Camp Pendleton, were killed after their plane crashed during a training mission near Glamis in Imperial County, Xinhua news agency quoted Maj. Gen. Bradford Gering, the commanding general of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, as saying in the statement issued on Thursday.

The crashed Osprey belonged to Marine Aircraft Group 39, which is part of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing headquartered in San Diego.

The Marines are recovering the aircraft's wreckage, and an investigation is underway, the statement said.

It added that the Marine Corps would withhold the names of those killed until 24 hours after next-of-kin notification according to Pentagon policy.

The MV-22B is a twin-engine tiltrotor aircraft that can take off and land like a helicopter but transit as a turboprop aircraft.