Two United States Army helicopters collided and crashed on Thursday in Alaska while returning from a training exercise, killing three soldiers.
Two soldiers passed away instantly at the site near Healy, Alaska, according to ABC News, and a third soldier passed away en route to a hospital in Fairbanks.
According to a statement from the Army, a fourth soldier was receiving medical care for injuries at a hospital.
According to the Army, the names of those slain were kept a secret until family members could be informed.
Two passengers were on each AH-64 Apache helicopter at the time of the collision, according to John Pennell, a US Army Alaska spokesperson, earlier on Thursday.
The helicopters were from the Fort Wainwright-based 1st Attack Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, which is located close to Fairbanks.
“This is an incredible loss for these soldiers’ families, their fellow soldiers, and for the division,” Maj. Gen. Brian Eifler, commanding general of the 11th Airborne Division, said in the Army statement.
“Our hearts and prayers go out to their families, friends and loved ones, and we are making the full resources of the Army available to support them.”
More information will be provided as it becomes available, according to the Army, which stated that the crash's cause was being investigated.
Two soldiers were hurt in February when an Apache chopper rolled after taking off from Talkeetna. The plane was one of four leaving Fort Wainwright and heading to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage.
In March, two US Army Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopters crashed while conducting a normal midnight training exercise about 30 miles (48 kilometres) northeast of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, resulting in the deaths of nine personnel.
