Kentucky.- A collision between two military helicopters this Wednesday night left “several” victims in southwestern Kentucky during a routine training mission, according to US military officials.
The two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, which are part of the 101st Airborne Division, collided around 10 p.m. Wednesday in Trigg County, Kentucky, according to the statement posted on Facebook.
The 101st Airborne confirmed the incident in a tweet and reported “multiple casualties,” without specifying whether they were dead or injured.
“Our priority right now is the soldiers and their affected families,” he added.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear tweeted that the deaths were expected, adding that police and emergency services had responded to the scene.
The event was being investigated.
“The crash happened in a field, a wooded area,” Kentucky State Police Agent Sarah Burgess said at a news conference. “At this time there are no reports of damage to homes.”
Fort Campbell is located near the Tennessee border, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) northwest of Nashville, and the incident occurred in Trigg County, Kentucky, in the municipality of Cadiz.
Nick Tomaszewski, who lives in Cadiz, told WSMV-TV that he often sees helicopters from Fort Campbell fly over the area, but the two flying Wednesday caught his eye.
“I said to my wife ‘wow, those look really close tonight for whatever…’ a minute later they passed each other and there was a huge explosion on the ground, almost like fireworks. And then the whole tree line lit up.”
Two Tennessee National Guard pilots were killed last month when their Black Hawk helicopter crashed along an Alabama highway during maneuvering.
