2 bodies found in Brazil copter wreck

Rescuers located two bodies Wednesday inside the sunken wreck of a helicopter forced down at sea, bringing the death toll to three. Two others remain missing.

The helicopter had just left an oil rig with 17 oil workers and three crew members on board Tuesday night when it went down some 75 miles off the coast. Landing in rough seas, the Super Puma L2 helicopter stayed afloat for several hours before sinking to a depth of about 2,700 feet, Petroleo Brasileiro SA said.

Fifteen people aboard were rescued mostly unharmed, except for pilot Sergio Ricardo Muller who was hospitalized in stable condition. Petrobras said it was still investigating why the helicopter went down. The company hasn't said whether the dead people were oil workers or crew members, and hasn't explained how they died.

The helicopter was operated by Brazilian Helicopter Services, a subsidiary of Canada-based CHC Helicopter Corp.