A helicopter crash in Kentucky claimed the lives of nine American soldiers, according to a statement posted on the U.S. Army Fort Campbell Facebook page.
The nine crew members were flying two HH-60 Blackhawk helicopters during a “routine training” missing when the crash happened.
“I would like to express my deepest sympathies to the families of the soldiers,” a spokesperson from Fort Campbell said. “We are currently in the process of notifying their families.”
Kentucky Governor Gov. Andy Beshear spoke at a news conference, saying they are going to support the families of the fallen soldiers for the foreseeable future.
“We’re going to do what we always do,” Gov. Beshear said during the news conference. “We’re going to wrap our arms around these families, and we’re going to be there with them, not just for the days but the weeks and months and years to come.”
The names of the soldiers have not been released at this time as family notification continues.
The nine soldiers were apart of the 101st Airborne Division. There were four helicopters partaking in the training exercise, according to 101st Airborne Division spokesman Staff Sgt. Joshua Tverberg. One helicopters was ahead of the other two that went down and another helicopters had stopped to refuel.