Siyam katao patay sa pagbagsak ng dalawang US Army helicopters
CADIZ, KY - MARCH 30: A Humvee from the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division sits parked at a checkpoint near the site where two UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters crashed on March 30, 2023 in Cadiz, Kentucky. Nine soldiers based at Fort Campbell were killed in the incident that occurred during a night training mission. Luke Sharrett/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by LUKE SHARRETT / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
Dalawang US Army helicopters ang bumagsak habang nagsasagawa ng isang nighttime training mission sa Kentucky, na ikinasawi ng lahat ng siyam na mga sundalong lulan nito.
Ayon sa isang heneral, ang insidente na kinasasangkutan ng magkaibang Black Hawk na naka-disenyo para sa medical evacuation, ang pinakamalala sa katulad na mga insidente sa higit na walong taon.
Sa isang news conference ay sinabi ni Brigadier General John Lubas, “The aircraft were flying in formation with pilots using night vision goggles during a routine training exercise, and were steered to land in an open field across from a residential area, avoiding deaths or injuries on the ground. The crash “resulted in the death of all nine service members aboard the aircraft,” all of them members of the 101st Airborne Division, which is based at Fort Campbell in Kentucky.”
Ang 101st Airborne Division ay ang tanging air assault division ng US Army. Binansagang “Screaming Eagles,” inactivate ito noong August 1942 at naging kilala sa panahon ng World War II sa D-Day landings at sa Battle of the Bulge.
Limang sundalo ang nasa isang helicopter at apat ang nasa isa pa. Sinusubukan nang ipaalam ng militar ang nangyari sa pamilya ng mga namatay.
Habang patungo ang isang investigative team sa Fort Campbell mula sa base kung saan naroon ang headquarters ng US Army Aviation sa Alabama, ay hindi pa rin batid kung ang dalawang helicopters ay nagsalpukan.
Ayon kay Lubas, “We have a safety team coming… from Fort Rucker, Alabama who specialize in aircraft safety and specifically these investigations.”
Ikinalungkot naman ni Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear ang pagkamatay ng mga sundalo at pinuri ang mga agad na rumesponde sa insidente.
Sinabi ng gobernador, “Freedom relies on those who are willing to serve, some of which pay the ultimate price.”
Sa isang pahayag ay sinabi ni US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, na nalulungkot siya sa nangyari habang sinabi naman ni White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre sa mga mamamahayag, “we stand with all who are grieving in the wake of this terrible, truly terrible, accident.”
Binanggit naman ng MSNBC, ang isang local resident na nakasaksi sa nangyari.
Kuwento ni Nick Tomaszewski, “Two helicopters just disappeared out of the sky. There was a large flash, then another helicopter circled the area for about 30 minutes before ambulances arrived.”
Sinabi ni US Army Combat Readiness Center spokesman Jimmie Cummings, “The last time nine or more people died in a training-related incident involving a helicopter was on March 10, 2015, when a Louisiana National Guard Black Hawk crashed during a nighttime training mission off the Florida coast, killing 11 people.”
Dagdag pa niya, “Each accident is thoroughly investigated, and lessons learned are applied to improve safety standards and processes.”
© Agence France-Presse
