Officials say 2 National Guard members killed in helicopter crash in Mississippi

BOONEVILLE, Miss. — Two guardsmen were killed when their helicopter crashed during a routine training flight Friday near Boonville, Mississippi, officials confirm.

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The Mississippi National Guard said one of its helicopters crashed around 2 p.m. near Boonville. Prentiss County Sheriff Randy Tolar confirmed that two soldiers were killed in the crash.

“We are grateful to the first responders and safety crews who are still working the scene of the accident with local authorities. Like all accidents, this incident will be investigated. We are not at liberty to discuss any details of this accident during an ongoing investigation,” the Mississippi National Guard said.

The identities of the two soldiers who were killed have not yet been released. They were both part of the Army Aviation Support Facility which is located in Tupelo, according to WTVA.

The Mississippi National Guard said that the helicopter was a military aircraft -- an AH-64 Apache. It was flying a routine training flight at the time of the crash.

“Mississippi will always be grateful for their service and we will never forget them,” Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The crash comes after multiple military aviation crashes took place recently. Earlier in February, five Marines were killed when their helicopter crashed in Southern California during a training flight, CNN reported. At the end of 2023, eight airmen were killed after their CV-22 Osprey helicopter crashed near Yakushima Island in Japan.

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