A U.S. military helicopter crashed while landing at a front-line Army unit Tuesday, but all of three crew members and 13 U.S. soldiers on board escaped unscathed, police and military officials said.
Sikorsky's CH-53 transport helicopter crashed onto a military shooting range in Cherwon, 88 kilometers north of Seoul, while landing after completing a three-hour training exercise along with five other helicopters, according to military officials.
After all the American soldiers had escaped to safety, the helicopter caught fire, with most of the aircraft damaged in the blaze, they noted. The soldiers were medevacked to a hospital in Yongsan Garrison in Seoul after the incident.
An initial investigation is currently under way to determine the exact cause of the crash, authorities said.
The ill-fated chopper was participating in the South Korea-U.S. combined field training drill called Foal Eagle, amid heightened tensions with North Korea.
About 28,500 American troops are stationed in South Korea. (Yonhap News)
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