Nine soldiers have died after two Army HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters — part of the 101st Airborne Division — crashed in Kentucky.

The accident took place around 10 p.m. Wednesday in Trigg County, Kentucky, and the cause remains unclear.

The accident involved two medical evacuation helicopters. The two choppers were on a routine training mission. 

All nine troops lived at Fort Campbell and were members of the 101st Airborne, said John Lubas, deputy commander of the 101st Airborne.

“Today is a tough and tragic day for Kentucky, for Fort Campbell and the 101st,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said. “The nine individuals we lost are children of God. They will be missed.”

Beshear said first responders were on site “immediately,” and “did everything they could” to rescue the soldiers. Lubas said none of the troops involved were transported to the hospital. 

Lubas stated there were five troops on board one helicopter and four on the other. It is fairly typical to have those sorts of numbers on board the helicopters during training activities, Lubas said. 

An Army safety team is coming from Alabama to investigate the crash.

Lubas said it was fortunate that the helicopters came down away from nearby residential areas. 

As of Thursday morning, several of the families had not been reached by the Army. Once all next of kin have been notified, the identities of the troops will be released, Lubas said. 

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