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Two US army Black Hawk helicopters crash on training mission in Kentucky Two US army Black Hawk helicopters crash on training mission in Kentucky
(about 4 hours later)
Status of crew members not immediately known but Kentucky governor says deaths are expected 101st Airborne says crash resulted in ‘several casualties’ but didn’t specify whether those were injuries or deaths
The governor of Kentucky has said deaths are expected after two US army Black Hawk helicopters crashed during a routine training mission over the state. Two US army helicopters crashed in south-western Kentucky during a routine training mission, causing several casualties, military officials said.
The status of the crew members was not immediately known, the US army’s Fort Campbell said in a statement to Reuters, without providing the number of people who were onboard. The two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, part of the 101st Airborne Division, crashed around 10pm on Wednesday in Trigg county, Kentucky, according to a statement from Fort Campbell.
“We’ve got some tough news out of Fort Campbell, with early reports of a helicopter crash, and fatalities are expected,” the governor, Andy Beshear, said in a post on Twitter, adding that local authorities and emergency services were responding to the incident. The 101st Airborne confirmed the crash, saying on Twitter it resulted in “several casualties” but not specifying whether those were injuries or deaths.
Crew members were flying two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, operated by the 101st Airborne Division, which crashed at about 10pm on Wednesday in Trigg county, Fort Campbell’s public affairs office said. “Right now our focus is on the soldiers and their families who were involved,” it said.
“The command is currently focused on caring for the service members and their families,” the statement said, adding that the cause of the crash was under investigation. The Kentucky governor, Andy Beshear, said fatalities were expected, adding that police and emergency officials were responding. The crash was under investigation.
The HH-60 is a variant of the Black Hawk helicopter designed to provide support for various military operations, including air assaults and medical evacuations, according to the army. “The crash occurred in a field, some wooded area,” a Kentucky state police trooper, Sarah Burgess, said at a news briefing. “At this time, there are no reports of residence damage.”
Fort Campbell is about 60 miles north-west of Nashville.
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Last month, two Tennessee national guard pilots were killed when their Black Hawk crashed on an Alabama highway during training.