Officials confirmed Thursday morning that nine U.S. Army service members were killed when two Black Hawk helicopters crashed in Kentucky on Wednesday night.
A spokesperson said on Thursday that identifying information about the service members would not be shared until next of kin were notified.
The crash was in Trigg County. The helicopters were from Fort Campbell, an army installation on the Kentucky-Tennessee border.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear tweeted on Wednesday that there was "some tough news out of Fort Campbell, with early reports of a helicopter crash and fatalities are expected." He said Kentucky State Police, the state Division of Emergency Management and local officials were responding.
Fort Campbell said the crash, at about 10 p.m., involved two 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) helicopters on a routine training mission. They were HH60 Blackhawks, the fort said. The 101st said there were "several casualties."
"The command is currently focused on caring for the servicemembers and their families," the fort said, adding that the incident is under investigation.
Beshear tweeted Thursday morning that he was traveling to Fort Campbell "to support our troops and their families after last night's tragic incident."
CBS Nashville affiliate WTVF-TV reports the area where the choppers went down is "pretty rural. ... We're told this happened in an open field -- away from any nearby homes."
Fort Campbell is about 60 miles northwest of Nashville.
Last month, two Tennessee National Guard pilots were killed when their Black Hawk helicopter crashed in Alabama during a routine training mission.
