Two US army helicopters crashed in south-western Kentucky during a routine training mission, causing several casualties, military officials said.
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.
The 101st Airborne confirmed the crash, saying on Twitter it resulted in “several casualties” but not specifying whether those were injuries or deaths.
“Right now our focus is on the soldiers and their families who were involved,” it said.
The Kentucky governor, Andy Beshear, said fatalities were expected, adding that police and emergency officials were responding. The crash was under investigation.
“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, Tennessee. The crash occurred in Cadiz, a community in Trigg county, Kentucky.
Nick Tomaszewski, who lives in Cadiz, told WSMV-TV he sees helicopters from Fort Campbell pass overhead often, but the two that flew by on Wednesday stood out.
“I told my wife, ‘Wow, those look really close tonight’ for whatever reason … about a minute later, they were coming across and there was a large explosion in the sky almost look like a firework went off. And then the entire tree line lit up.”
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Last month, two Tennessee national guard pilots were killed when their Black Hawk crashed on an Alabama highway during training.
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