Two assault helicopters operated by the US Army collided on Wednesday night over the state of Kentucky. The fate of their crews has not been confirmed, but the local governor said fatalities were expected.
The two HH60 Black Hawks had taken off from Fort Campbell, a military base on the border of Kentucky and Tennessee, the Army said in a statement. They were conducting a routine training mission over Trigg County when the incident occurred at around 10pm.
The modified Black Hawk aircraft belong to the 101st Airborne Division, the ‘Screaming Eagles’, which is the only air assault division in the Army. The county where the crash occurred is around 40km (25 miles) northwest of Fort Campbell.
Governor Andy Beshear wrote on Twitter that state police and fire departments were responding to the incident, and he suggested people should brace for the worst outcome for the crews.