US soldiers killed near Austin, Texas, after helicopter crashes into grass field

Their identities have not yet been released.

Emily Williams
The Nightly
Two people died when an Army Apache helicopter crashed and burst into flames in a field near Fort Hood, north of Austin, Texas.

Two US soldiers have been killed in a horrific helicopter crash.

On Wednesday, a military helicopter crashed into a grass field in Salado, Texas, about 100 kilometres from Austin.

Bell County Sheriff Office spokesperson Cliff Coleman said two people were onboard and they were pronounced dead around 1.30pm local time.

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“It crashed into a field, and you could tell it was a violent crash,” he said, as reported by NBC News.

The two soldiers have not yet been identified and their names will be withheld for 24 hours while families are notified.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott offered his condolences to the families of the soldiers.

“Today, an Apache helicopter crashed in Bell County during Fort Hood operations, killing two members of our military,” he wrote.

“Join Cecilia and me in prayer for their families and the entire Fort Hood community.

“Texas is forever indebted to those who serve our state and nation.”

The Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopter was based out of Fort Hood.

The crash sparked a large grass fire.

Images provided by Coleman showed firefighters examining burning debris amid a large patch of charred grass, with smoke billowing from the scene.

Several local fire departments responded to the blaze.

With AP

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