VARIOUS: U.S. MARINE CORPS CH-46 SEA KNIGHT TRANSPORT HELICOPTER CARRYING 8 BRITONS AND 4 AMERICANS CRASHES SOUTH OF IRAQI BORDER KILLING ALL ON BOARD

Record ID: 593725

  • Title: VARIOUS: U.S. MARINE CORPS CH-46 SEA KNIGHT TRANSPORT HELICOPTER CARRYING 8 BRITONS AND 4 AMERICANS CRASHES SOUTH OF IRAQI BORDER KILLING ALL ON BOARD
  • Date: 21st March 2003
  • Summary: (U3) AT SEA, ARABIAN GULF (MARCH 15, 2003) (REUTERS) VARIOUS: CH-46 HELICOPTER PICKING UP SUPPLIES, SECOND HELICOPTER (3 SHOTS) (U3) AIR BASE NEAR THE IRAQI BORDER, KUWAIT (MARCH 21, 2003) (REUTERS) SV: U.S. MARINES EXPEDITIONARY FORCE 1 (MEF 1) PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER, MAJOR TV JOHNSON SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. MARINES EXPEDITIONARY FORCE 1 (MEF 1) PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER, MAJOR TV JOHNSON, SAYING: "First of all I would like to say our hearts and our prayers go to the families of the marines both from the UK and our American marines we have lost this morning. At 3.10 am we lost a CH-46 cargo slash troop transport helicopter just south of Umm Qasr, Iraq. It crashed in Kuwait, killing all persons on board." SV: JOHNSON BEING INTERVIEWED SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOHNSON SAYING: "We are approaching it as an accident, there was no sign that enemy fire had anything to do with the mishap but it's under investigation at this time." MV: SOLDIERS (U3) AS-SAYLIYAH, QATAR (MARCH 21, 2003) (REUTERS) SV: U.K. FORCES GROUP CAPTAIN AL LOCKWOOD, CHIEF SPOKESMAN FOR BRITISH TROOPS IN QATAR, SPEAKING TO REUTERS REPORTER SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHIEF SPOKESMAN FOR BRITISH TROOPS IN QATAR, U.K. FORCES GROUP CAPTAIN AL LOCKWOOD, SAYING: "The helicopter crashed at around three o'clock this morning. It was a U.S. Marine Corps CH-46 with both U.S. and U.K. servicemen on board. Tragically, it appears there has been loss of life and the United Kingdom, we have suffered our first fatalities of this operation."
  • Embargoed: 5th April 2003 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: AIR BASE NEAR IRAQI BORDER, KUWAIT / AS-SAYLIYAH, QATAR / AT SEA, ARABIAN GULF
  • City:
  • Country: Qatar Kuwait At Sea
  • Topics: Conflict,International Relations,Accidents,Transport
  • Reuters ID: LVA2M20QR086NFT167PMM5GY5D8X
  • Story Text: A U.S. Marine Corps CH-46 Sea Knight transport helicopter carrying 8 Britons and four Americans has crashed south of the border with Iraq, killing all on board.
    U.S. and British troops sustained their first casualties of the war after a CH-46E helicopter crashed in Kuwait, killing eight Britons and four Americans.
    The crash took place at about 0040 GMT on Friday morning (March 21).
    T.V. Johnson, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Marine Expeditionary Force 1 (MEF 1) said that four of the fatalities were American. He declined to say how many Royal Marine Commandos had died in the crash.
    "First of all I would like to say our hearts and our prayers go to the families of the marines both from the UK and our American marines we have lost this morning. At 3.10 am we lost a CH-46 cargo slash troop transport helicopter just south of Umm Qasr, Iraq. It crashed in Kuwait, killing all persons on board," Johnson said.
    Johnson said it did not appear that the helicopter had been downed by enemy fire.
    "We are approaching it as an accident, there was no sign that enemy fire had anything to do with the mishap but it's under investigation at this time," Johnson said.
    Umm Qasr is near Highway 801 in Kuwait.
    Group Captain Al Lockwood told Reuters on Friday: "The helicopter crashed at around three o'clock this morning. It was a U.S. Marine Corps CH-46 with both U.S. and U.K.
    servicemen on board. Tragically, it appears there has been loss of life and the United Kingdom, we have suffered our first fatalities of this operation."
    Earlier two other U.S. military helicopters made crash landings during operations along the Kuwait-Iraq border.
    One was later destroyed by U.S. warplanes to prevent it from falling into Iraqi hands, Defense Department officials said.
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