Several people are thought to have died after two helicopters crashed on Wednesday night in Southwestern Kentucky near a large US army military base.
The two HH-60 Blackhawk helicopters, part of the 101st Airborne Division, crashed at around 10pm Wednesday local time (3am Thursday BST) in Trigg County, Kentucky – near the Fort Campbell base.
Kentucky Governor Andy Bershear said: “We’ve got some tough news out of Fort Campbell, with early reports of a helicopter crash and fatalities are expected.”
He added that local officials were responding and that they would share more information once they had it.
WKDZ radio reported that a US Army soldier at the scene confirmed several deaths, along with a coroner.
Fort Campbell officials arrived on the scene about an hour after the crash to begin their investigation.
One witness, who lives nearby the crash site, said they heard “a pop” and “two booms”.
Several military helicopters have been flying across the area over the last few nights.
A Fort Campbell spokesperson told the BBC that two HH-60 Blackhawk helicopters had crashed during “a routine training mission”.
“The command is currently focused on caring for the servicemembers and their families,” the US Army’s Fort Campbell said in a statement.
