U.S. Helicopter Down with 16 on Board

Post-9/11 Era Forum

A U.S. Marine helicopter carrying 16 members of the U.S. and British forces has crashed while conducting operations related to the campaign against Iraq, U.S. defense officials said on Thursday.

"A Marine helicopter has gone down in the area of operations," the official said.

The helicopter was carrying 12 Americans and four Britons, there was no immediate information about casualties.

Earlier two other U.S. military helicopters made crash landings during operations along the Kuwait-Iraq border. One was later destroyed by American warplanes to prevent it from falling into Iraqi hands, Defense Department officials said.

Source: Reuters

Four British and 12 American soldiers have been killed in a helicopter crash in northern Kuwait.

It is belived the US Marine CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter crashed after suffering mechanical failure.


"A Marine helicopter has gone down in the area of operations," a US military official said.

Earlier two other US military helicopters made crash landings during operations along the Kuwait-Iraq border.

One was later destroyed by American warplanes to prevent it from falling into Iraqi hands, Defence Department officials said.

Source: Sky News (UK)

Correction: 4 Americans and 12 Britons die - initial media reports had the figures swapped.

Strange: Sky News reports:

"CHOPPER CRASH KILLS EIGHT
Eight British and four American soldiers have been killed after a US Marine helicopter crashed in Kuwait."

What - American's don't count against the death toll? The numbers don't even add up.