US Army helicopter crash leaves nine dead

According to a general, two US Army helicopters that were on a midnight training operation in Kentucky crashed, killing all nine soldiers inside.

According to Brigadier General John Lubas, the helicopters, which are medical evacuation-specific Black Hawk models, were participating in a normal training exercise the night before the incident.

It “resulted in the death of all nine service members aboard the aircraft,” all of them members of the 101st Airborne Division, which is based at Fort Campbell in Kentucky, he said.

According to Lubas, who noted that the military is still attempting to notify all the relatives of those slain, there were five soldiers on one helicopter and four on another.

Helicopters that were flying in formation and whose pilots were using night vision goggles were able to land in an open field next to a residential area without causing any casualties or damage to the ground.

It was still unclear whether the two helicopters collided as an investigation team travelled to Fort Campbell from the site where US Army Aviation is based in Alabama.

“We have a safety team coming… from Fort Rucker, Alabama who specialize in aircraft safety and specifically these investigations,” Lubas said.

Governor Andy Beshear of Kentucky paid tribute to those who responded to the tragedy while also mourning the soldiers who died.

“We are blessed to live in the freest country in the history of planet Earth. But we must remember that that freedom relies on those who are willing to serve, some of which pay the ultimate price,” the governor told the news conference.