The Special Operations Command stated in a release that the cause of the incident is still under investigation, adding that the names of the soldiers will be announced at the appropriate time. Earlier, on Friday, local authorities in the U.S. state of Washington reported that a Black Hawk helicopter belonging to the U.S. Army, carrying four special forces soldiers, went down west of the state on Wednesday evening.
The Army has not disclosed the condition of those on board the helicopter, and the cause of the incident is being investigated, according to local media reports on Thursday. The media cited the Army stating that the helicopter, an MH-60 Black Hawk, assigned to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, crashed around 9 p.m. near Summit Lake in a rural area west of Washington, close to Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
Army officials mentioned that emergency crews faced difficulties reaching the crash site due to dense vegetation and the remote location. The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office reported that the base lost contact with the helicopter and had located the crash site. Lacey Police Department announced that they responded to the incident on Thursday morning, deploying a drone to the site, where they identified a brush fire.
Derek Sanders, Thurston County Sheriff, stated on social media: “Sheriff’s deputies located the crash site but were unable to continue rescue efforts as the site was ablaze, and their boots began to heat up.”
