Trump confirms pilots safe following Army helicopter crash near Strait of Hormuz
WASHINGTON, DC: As the investigation is underway to ascertain what led to the US Army helicopter crash near the Strait of Hormuz, President Donald Trump confirmed that two crew members aboard were not injured and are safe.
The accident occurred when the US Army Apache helicopter crashed into the sea near the strategic waterway that Iran has effectively closed during the war.
AH-64 crew rescued within hours
Two crew members were rescued by a sea drone in the first such operation by the US military, a US military official told CBS News.
A Task Force 59 unmanned surface vessel, essentially a drone boat, found and rescued the soldiers, spokesperson Capt Tim Hawkins said.
The CENTACOM did not elaborate on the operation or immediately confirm that it was carried out using an unmanned vehicle. But only said that the crew was "rescued by American forces."
In a separate statement on X, CENTCOM had said the soldiers had been rescued within around two hours of the incident and were in stable condition.
Two US Army officials were patrolling waters off the coast of Oman in an Army AH-64 Apache when the crash happened.
Detailed report coming soon, Trump
The cause of the crash was not immediately clear. Officials have not said whether the Apache was brought down by Iranian fire, suffered a mechanical failure, or encountered another issue.
Asked if he knew what caused the helicopter to go down, Trump said a report would be released later on Tuesday.
"The pilots are fine," President Trump said Monday night, June 8, after attending Game Three of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden. "Nobody injured."
The unmanned surface drone was operated by a special department, based with the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. It was the first time a drone had been used for a water rescue, the officials said.
The New York Times first reported the incident, saying the helicopter had gone down over the Strait of Hormuz.
The Revolutionary Guard had yet to issue a statement. The Iranian media appeared to acknowledge the incident, with the semi-official Mehr News Agency reporting on Tuesday that Iran had not claimed responsibility.
