On Wednesday evening, tragedy struck Fort Campbell in Kentucky, where two Army Black Hawk helicopters collided during a training exercise.
According to military officials, the crash resulted in the deaths of all nine service members aboard.
Brig. Gen. John Lubas, the 101st Airborne deputy commander, reported that one helicopter had five people aboard and the other had four. East Golden Pond Fire Department responded to the scene and extinguished the fire, which was seen as a large ball of flames.
Governor Andy Beshear, a Democrat, confirmed the news and traveled to Fort Campbell to support the service members and their families. Were going to do what we always do, were going to wrap our arms around these families, were going to be with them for the weeks and days to come, Beshear said.
The aircraft involved in the collision are used for medical evacuation purposes, but officials noted that the crash did not occur during medical evacuation drills. Instead, they were flying a multi-ship formation and using night vision goggles at night.
Military officials are still in the process of notifying the service members families. Until all next of kin have been notified, they cannot release additional information about the service members. However, they confirmed that all individuals involved in the crash were based at Fort Campbell.
To understand the cause of the crash, military officials will be relying on the recording devices similar to black boxes that were on board the helicopters. The service members aboard the two aircraft did not radio for help before the incident, and no additional casualties were reported.
As the investigation of this tragedy continues, our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the service members who lost their lives.
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