One dead, four injured in Czech army helicopter crash

One soldier died and four were injured on Thursday when a military helicopter crashed in the Czech Republic, the army said.

"A Venom helicopter has crashed at the 22nd helicopter base in Namest nad Oslavou. Five soldiers were on board. Emergency services are currently deployed at the scene," the army wrote on X.

In a later post, it added that one soldier was killed and four injured in the crash.

"Our absolute priority now is to provide all possible care and support to the injured soldiers and their loved ones. We are also in contact with the family of the deceased serviceman, to whom we are providing all necessary assistance," the army said.

The Namest and Oslavou airbase is located around 200 kilometres (125 miles) southeast of Prague.

Police were informed of the accident at 12:11 pm (1011 GMT), regional police spokeswoman Dana Cirtkova told the CTK news agency.

The Czech army bought eight UH-1Y Venom multi-purpose helicopters and four combat AH-1Z Viper helicopters from the United States in 2019, with the final two aircraft delivered in June 2024.

American instructors provided training for Czech personnel on the new aircraft until last year.

Defence Minister Jaromir Zuna said the incident was "an immense tragedy that affects us all deeply", adding that an inquiry was under way to determine the cause of the crash.