Update:
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - The Navy says everyone aboard a helicopter that was forced to land in a remote area of West Virginia has been evacuated.
Navy spokesman Mike Maus said Friday none of the 17 crew and passengers aboard the MH-60S helicopter suffered life-threatening injuries. The Navy is withholding the names of all aboard.
The helicopter took off from Fort Pickett in Virginia on Thursday as part of a training exercise involving the Navy and National Guard. There were 14 Navy and three National Guard members aboard the helicopter when it went down in Pocahontas County about 100 miles south of its destination, Camp Dawson near Kingwood.
The Navy says it is investigating the cause of the crash. The helicopter is based at the Naval Station Norfolk, Va.
Earlier:
The National Guard says 13 of 17 people on board a downed Navy helicopter have been rescued from the crash site in Pocahontas County.
Those people are now being evaluated by emergency services agencies and will be taken to a nearby hospital for further treatment. National Guard medics are still at the site and working with emergency crews to evacuate the remaining four people.
The helicopter went down yesterday in West Virginia about 30 miles from Lewisburg, close to the Virginia line.
West Virginia National Guard Lt. Col. Mike Cadle said the mountainous terrain made it difficult for rescue teams to reach the crash site.
At least four were injured, West Virginia Air National Guard Lt. Col. Harrison Gilliam said earlier in the day. Cadle said he couldn’t confirm or elaborate on any injuries.
The Navy and Federal Aviation Administration said the helicopter was an MH-60S Knighthawk from Sea Combat Squadron 26 out of Norfolk.
The FAA says the aircraft went down in a field about 2 p.m. while traveling from Fort Pickett in Blackstone, Va., to Elkins, W.Va.
A staging area for the injured was set up at the Greenbrier Valley Airport near Lewisburg.
“Several aircraft had been looking for the aircraft and had been in radio contact with the downed helicopter on the ground,“ said Jim Peters, an FAA spokesman.
The aircraft took off from Fort Pickett, a Virginia Army National Guard post, about 11 a.m. It was taking part in a multinational, joint service exercise called Southbound Trooper with the Canadian army.
No Virginia National Guard members were reported on the helicopter.
According to the Navy squadron’s Web site, the unit’s missions include logistics support, medical and noncombatant evacuations, special warfare operations, search and rescue and vertical replenishment.
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