A number of folks have been on board two U.S. Military helicopters that went down in Kentucky on Wednesday night time, Fort Campbell stated in an announcement.
Two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters flown by the a hundred and first Airborne Division have been collaborating in what was described as a “routine coaching mission” once they crashed in Trigg County at round 10 p.m., the assertion learn.
“The standing of the crew members are unknown presently,” it continued. “The command is at present centered on caring for the servicemembers and their households.” It didn’t say how many individuals have been on board the helicopters.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear made a separate touch upon his Twitter account late Wednesday. “We’ve received some robust information out of Fort Campbell, with early studies of a helicopter crash and fatalities are anticipated.” Kentucky State Police and the state’s Division of Emergency Administration have been responding to the incident, Beshear added. “We’ll share extra data as accessible. Please pray for all these affected.”
Unconfirmed studies recommend a number of fatalities might have occurred. WKDZ radio in Cadiz, Kentucky, studies {that a} U.S. Military soldier on the scene stated there have been “a number of deaths” and that Trigg County Coroner John Mark Vinson had been referred to as to the crash web site.
The outlet additionally reported {that a} witness residing half a mile from the crash web site heard a “pop” and “two booms,” whereas others on the scene stated a number of navy helicopters had been flying over the world in latest nights.
Fort Campbell, one of many largest Military bases within the U.S., is described as a “main maneuver set up” by the Division of Protection. The set up, positioned on the Kentucky-Tennessee border, has a inhabitants of over 27,000 personnel.
The plane concerned within the crashes are variants of the Black Hawk helicopter, in line with the U.S. Military Acquisition Help Heart (USAASC), which describes the chopper because the Military’s “utility tactical transport helicopter.
Final month, a Black Hawk helicopter operated by the Tennessee Nationwide Guard crashed close to Huntsville, Alabama. Two folks have been killed within the accident, which additionally came about throughout a coaching flight, Alabama authorities stated.
In 2018, two U.S. troopers died when their Apache helicopter crashed in a coaching space of Fort Campbell.