Two US army Blackhawk helicopters crash on training mission in Kentucky

Two US army Blackhawk helicopters have crashed during a routine training mission over Kentucky, the US military has said.

The status of the crew members is unknown, the US Army’s Fort Campbell added in a statement, with the crash - which happened close to the large Fort Campbell military base -currently under investigation.

The two HH-60 Blackhawk helicopters, part of the 101st Airborne Division, crashed around 10pm on Wednesday in Trigg County, Kentucky, according to the statement.

“The command is currently focused on caring for the servicemembers and their families,” it read.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear wrote on Twitter that “fatalities are expected", adding that police and emergency officials were responding.

“The crash occurred in a field, some wooded area,” Kentucky State Police Trooper Sarah Burgess added later at a news briefing. “At this time, there are no reports of residence damage.” Nick Tomaszewski, who lives in Cadiz, told WSMV-TV that he often sees helicopters from Fort Campbell in the sky, but the two that flew by on Wednesday stood out. “I told my wife, ‘wow, those look really close tonight’ for whatever reason... about a minute later, they were coming across and there was a large explosion in the sky almost look like a firework went off. And then the entire tree line lit up.” Last month, two Tennessee National Guard pilots were killed when their Blackhawk helicopter crashed along an Alabama highway during a training exercise.

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