KENTUCKY: At least nine soldiers were killed when two Black Hawk helicopters crashed during a training exercise in Kentucky, US, the Wall Street Journal reported.
While addressing a presser on Thursday, an Army spokesperson said that the HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, which were flying during the routine training mission out of the Fort Campbell military base, crashed in Trigg County, Kentucky, at around 10 pm (local time) Wednesday.
The spokesperson added that no person survived.
“We are currently in the process of notifying the families of those involved,” he said, adding they wouldn’t immediately announce any further details about casualties.
The Fort Campbell facility houses the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and sits on the Kentucky-Tennessee border roughly 60 miles northwest of Nashville, according to Wall Street Journal.
The two crews were flying after dark and using night vision goggles, the spokesman said. The helicopters landed in an open field across from a residential area.
There were no additional casualties from the crash. A team of investigators was on the ground probing the cause, he said.
After the incident, the Kentucky government paid tribute to the service members and their families, reported Wall Street Journal.
“Today is a tough and tragic day for Kentucky, for Fort Campbell and for the 101st,” he said. “I want to thank the first responders who came from the entire region and were there on the ground immediately after this incident doing everything they could,” added. (ANI)