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A Black Hawk helicopter crashed in central Minnesota Thursday afternoon shortly after takeoff, killing all three crew members aboard, Gov. Tim Walz confirmed during a news conference.
The Minnesota National Guard lost contact with the UH-60 around 2 p.m., Master Sgt. Blair Heusdens said in an earlier statement.
"Our first priority is the safety and well-being of our Guardsmen, and our thoughts are with our soldiers and their families at this time," Heusdens said.
A Black Hawk helicopter being refueled at Camp Ripley in northern Minnesota. (Star Tribune via AP, File)
Stearns County Chief Sheriff's Deputy Dan Miller told reporters that the Black Hawk sent a mayday signal at 2:15 p.m.
Crews from multiple departments spent several hours searching before finding the wreckage, he said.
A Minnesota State Patrol trooper spotted the helicopter around 4 p.m. near Pearl Lake, according to emergency scanner traffic cited by the St. Cloud Times.
The helicopter had taken off on a maintenance test flight from St. Cloud, about 70 miles northwest of Minneapolis.
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The Guard's base near the St. Cloud Regional Airport has been in operation since 2009, with Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters maintained there.
Walz had canceled a tree-lighting ceremony was in contact with the Guard as the situation unfolded. Walz served in the Army National Guard before eventually becoming a schoolteacher and coach.
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Investigators declined to provide the names of the victims until 24 hours after next of kin are notified. The investigation was ongoing.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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