Military helicopter crashes leaving at least one dead after ‘Venom’ chopper carrying five troops goes down in Czechia

NewsWorld News A MILITARY helicopter has crashed in Czechia leaving one soldier dead and another four injured. The Czech military confirmed the tragedy after the US-built “Venom” chopper went down at an airbase around 125 miles southeast of Prague on Thursday afternoon. Rescuers respond at the scene of a Venom helicopter crash with five soldiers on board Credit: AP Emergency services rushed to help the soldiers Credit: Reuters Five troops were on board when the aircraft crashed at the 22nd helicopter base in Namest nad Oslavou. The military said one soldier had died and four others were hurt. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! In a statement, it said: “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.” A military helicopter crashed in the Czech Republic Credit: Reuters The helicopter crashed on Thursday Credit: AP It has now grounded its entire fleet of 12 American-made helicopters – eight Venoms and four AH-1Z Vipers – while the cause of the crash is investigated. Following the tragic incident, the surviving troops were rushed to hospitals in Brno and Jihlava by land and air, a regional emergency services spokesman confirmed. Czechia Defence Minister Jaromir Zuna called it “an immense tragedy that affects us all deeply” and confirmed a probe is under way. The Czech army only recently started flying the Venoms, after signing a deal with the US in 2019. Most read in The Sun American instructors had been training Czech crews up until last year. The choppers are being brought in to replace the country’s ageing fleet of Soviet-designed Mi-class helicopters. Czechia is also in line for eight more of the helicopters, due to arrive in 2027 and 2028, as part of a deal linked to military aid sent to Ukraine. The crash comes just months after two of the country’s Venom choppers were deployed on their first foreign mission, guarding Polish airspace against Russian drone incursions as part of Nato‘s eastern flank. Those aircraft, along with their crews and technicians, remain stationed in eastern Poland near the border with Belarus. Comment now