US: 3 soldiers killed after Black Hawk helicopter crashes in Minnesota

Three US soldiers were killed after a Minnesota Army National Guard helicopter crashed during a maintenance test flight in Minnesota on Thursday, the state's National Guard said.

The UN-60 Black Hawk helicopter lost communication with the Minnesota National Guard at around 2:05 pm (local time) after taking off from an Army aviation facility for a maintenance test flight, the state's National Guard tweeted.

"On or about 2:05 p.m. on December 5, 2019, the Minnesota National Guard lost contact with a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter while it was conducting a maintenance test flight that originated from St. Cloud, Minnesota," the tweet read.

"Three soldiers from the Minnesota National Guard were killed today when a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from the Minnesota National Guard's Army Aviation Safety Facility in St. Cloud went down southwest of St. Cloud, Minnesota," the following tweet read.

An investigation into the incident has been initiated.