A Royal Navy AgustaWestland AW101 Merlin helicopter crashed near the village of Sourton in Devon, with three people reported to have died, in an incident that prompted an immediate response from emergency services and the military. The aircraft came down in countryside in the south-west of England, and the area around the site was cordoned off as investigators were summoned.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed that one of its helicopters had been involved in an accident and said an investigation would be launched to establish the cause. Officials gave few further details in the immediate aftermath, in keeping with usual practice while next of kin are informed and the circumstances are examined.
The Merlin is a large, three-engined helicopter used by the Royal Navy for anti-submarine warfare, troop transport and search-and-rescue tasks, and is operated from bases in the south-west of England. Such aircraft routinely conduct training sorties over Dartmoor and the surrounding region, though it was not immediately clear what the helicopter had been doing at the time of the crash.
Emergency crews, including air ambulance and fire services, were sent to the scene, and local roads were closed while the response was coordinated. Residents in the rural area reported a significant emergency presence as the recovery operation got under way.
Military aviation accidents in Britain are relatively rare, and each is followed by a detailed safety investigation intended to identify any technical or procedural failings and prevent a recurrence. The findings of such inquiries can take months to complete.
The crash was likely to renew attention on the safety record and ageing of parts of the military helicopter fleet, questions that periodically surface after such incidents. For now, the focus remained on recovering those aboard and supporting their families.