US helicopter crash in California kills two soldiers

CALIFORNIA: A US Army Apache attack helicopter crashed early on Saturday morning in California, killing two soldiers, a spokesman for the Army said.

An investigation is ongoing into the crash of the AH-64 Apache helicopter on the sprawling National Training Centre at Fort Irwin in southern California, Lieutenant Colonel Jason Brown, US Army spokesman, said in a statement emailed to Reuters.

Another Army spokesman said that the pilot and the co-pilot were killed, but did not give their names, saying their families had yet to be notified.

The crew of soldiers and the aircraft were based in Fort Carson in Colorado and were on a training rotation at the base in the Mojave Desert, said Brandy Gill, a spokeswoman for the Army at Fort Carson.