(NEW YORK) — Two U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopters crashed during a training mission on Wednesday night in Trigg County, Kentucky, officials said in a statement.
The Black Hawk helicopters from the 101st Airborne Division were on a “routine training mission” when they crashed at about 10 p.m. local time, Army officials said.
The crash resulted “in several casualties,” officials from the division, which is also known as the “Screaming Eagles,” said on Twitter.
“The command is currently focused on caring for the servicemembers and their families,” Nondice Thurman, a spokesperson for the Fort Campbell Public Affairs Office, said in a statement.
Gov. Andy. Beshear of Kentucky said he received “early reports of a helicopter crash and fatalities are expected.” The Kentucky State Police and Division of Emergency Management were responding, he said in a statement.
“We will share more information as available,” Beshear said. “Please pray for all those affected.”
Trigg County, where the crash occurred, is about 25 miles northwest of Fort Campell, a military installation on the Kentucky-Tennessee border.
Kentucky State Police troopers found the wreckage in a location described as either a field or a semi-wooded area, said Sarah Burgess, a police spokesperson. There were no reports of damage to residential buildings, but residents within the debris field were asked to leave the area.
“I can’t speak on behalf of the residents other than we are doing everything we can to assess the situation and make sure that our community is as safe as it can be,” Burgess said.
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