The governor of Kentucky has said deaths are expected after two US army Black Hawk helicopters crashed during a routine training mission over the state

Two US Army Black Hawk helicopters crashed during a training mission in Kentucky on Wednesday night causing “several casualties”, military officials said.

Crew members were flying two HH60 Blackhawk helicopters during a routine training mission before the crash at Fort Campbell, a military base, at roughly 10pm local time on Wednesday (3am on Thursday UK time).

The status of the crew members was not immediately known, the US army’s Fort Campbell said in a statement to Reuters, without providing the number of people who were onboard.

“We’ve got some tough news out of Fort Campbell, with early reports of a helicopter crash, and fatalities are expected,” the governor, Andy Beshear, said in a post on Twitter, adding that local authorities and emergency services were responding to the incident.

“The command is currently focused on caring for the service members and their families,” the statement said, adding that the cause of the crash was under investigation.

The HH-60 is a variant of the Black Hawk helicopter designed to provide support for various military operations, including air assaults and medical evacuations, according to the army.