According to a US defense official familiar with the incident, a total of 22 US service members have been evacuated for medical treatment following a helicopter accident in Syria on Sunday. Some of the evacuated individuals are in serious condition.
The service members were transported to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, a prominent military hospital renowned for providing care to US troops injured in combat, CNN has reported.
In addition to those evacuated, seven other service members sustained injuries in the accident and received immediate treatment at the site.
A few of them have already returned to their duties. All injured personnel are currently in stable condition, as confirmed by three US defense officials.
The helicopter involved in the incident was an MH-47 Chinook, a specialized heavy-lift chopper utilized by special operations forces for various movements and operations, as stated by two defense officials.
During a briefing on Tuesday, Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh revealed that the helicopter experienced a problem with one of its rotors, resulting in a hard landing during takeoff.
On Monday, US Central Command released a statement asserting that the cause of the incident is being investigated, with no reports of enemy fire involved in the accident.
Written by staff
B.C. Begley 