Seven U.S. Marines were killed in the midair collision of two U.S. military helicopters along the Arizona-California border, officials said Thursday. Six killed in the crash were based at Camp Pendleton, California, and one was from Yuma, Arizona, the Marine Corps said. The crash occurred during routine training operations Wednesday night around 10:30 p.m. ET, according to Marine Corps Air Station Yuma Base Commander Col. Robert Kuckuk. The collision occurred in the Chocolate Mountains on the California side of the range, near Yuma. The aircraft, an AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopter and a UH-1Y Huey utility chopper, were part of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing and based at Camp Pendleton.
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Crash is a "stark and sad reminder" of the peril troops face, Arizona governor says
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The Marine Corps says the collision occurred during routine training
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A UH-1Y helicopter and an AH-1W helicopter crash midair
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Spokeswoman: Marines onboard were preparing to deploy to Afghanistan
"We have aircraft going out to Yuma training ranges on a weekly basis, and they go out there primarily because the aircraft mimics what they will see in @placeholder," Dooley said.