Nine soldiers died when two US Army Blackhawk helicopters crashed during a training mission in Kentucky (east), a military spokesman reported Thursday.
“Nine soldiers were killed in the crash” Wednesday night, 101st Airborne Division spokesman Lt. Col. Anthony Hoefler said.
The incident occurred in Trigg County and helicopters belonging to the 101st Airborne Division were operating from Fort Campbell, about 110 kilometers southwest of Louisville and near the Kentucky-Tennessee border.
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At least nine soldiers died in the collision of two US Army HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters during a training flight last night in Kentucky.
A statement from the base indicated that “the command is now focused on the attention and care of the soldiers and their families,” adding that “The incident is under investigation.”
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The governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear, in a message on social networks, indicated that the local police and emergency services had attended the place and he urged residents to “pray for all those affected.”
The US Army has a press conference planned to give details. Local radio station WKDZ reported that a soldier at the site confirmed multiple deaths, and the county coroner attended the scene.
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The MilitaryTimes newspaper quoted a witness who lives near the crash site as saying that he heard an impact and then two explosions.
Another local witness, Nick Tomaszewski, told local television station WSMV that he often sees the helicopters that operate out of Fort Campbell, but the two that flew last night drew attention.
“I said to my wife, ‘Oh, those seem to be really close for some reason,’ and about a minute later, as they approached there was a very loud explosion in the sky. And then the whole tree line was on fire.”
INTERNATIONAL WRITING
With information from AFP and EFE
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