Two US Army Black Hawk helicopters crash during training in Kentucky

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
30 Mar 2023 09:21

Kentucky governor Andy Beshear said in a post on Twitter that fatalities were expected.

A firefighter is seen extinguishing fire on the scene of the crash incident in Kentucky's Trigg County (WKDZ Radio)

The US military confirmed that two US Army Black Hawk helicopters crashed during a training mission over Kentucky on Wednesday night.

In a statement early on Thursday to Reuters, Army Spokesperson Nondice Thurman said the status of the crew members was not immediately known, without detailing the number of people who were on board.

However, Kentucky governor Andy Beshear said in a post on Twitter that fatalities were expected, adding that the Kentucky State Police and the state's Division of Emergency Management were responding to the accident.

We’ve got some tough news out of Fort Campbell, with early reports of a helicopter crash and fatalities are expected. @kystatepolice, @KentuckyEM and local officials are responding. We will share more information as available. Please pray for all those affected.
— Governor Andy Beshear (@GovAndyBeshear) March 30, 2023

Thurman indicated that crew members were flying two Black Hawk helicopters that crashed at around 10:00 PM ET (0200 GMT Thursday) in Kentucky's Trigg County, pointing out that the cause of the crash is under investigation.

"The command is currently focused on caring for the service members and their families," the Army spokesperson said.

In a similar incident, US authorities also confirmed in mid-February that two people were killed when a military Black Hawk helicopter crashed near a highway in the southern state of Alabama.

The helicopter belonged to the Tennessee National Guard and was on a training flight when it crashed at midafternoon near the city of Huntsville, the Tennessee National Guard said in a statement.