West News Wire: Two U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopters crashed while on a training assignment in Trigg County, Kentucky, killing all nine of the military members on board, an Army official confirmed, calling it a “truly tragic loss.”
At around 10 p.m., two Black Hawk helicopters from the 101st Airborne Division one with five people on board and the other with four—crash-landed while performing a “routine training mission.” Army sources said on Wednesday. According to authorities, the helicopters were “flying a multi-ship formation under night vision goggles.”
The identities of the service members are secret. The relatives will soon be notified, according to officials.
At a press conference, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said, “We’re going to wrap our arms around these families and we’re going to be there with them.”
Trigg County, where the crash occurred, is about 25 miles northwest of Fort Campbell, 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.
No one else was hurt, Army officials said.