London: All four US Air Force crew members on board an American military helicopter were killed when the chopper crashed during a training exercise on the eastern coast of England, prompting a probe into the incident today.
British police and American military officials launched an investigating into the crash near Cley-next-the-Sea, North Norfolk, yesterday.
The HH-60G Pave Hawk, based at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, came down while it was on a low-level training mission.
The wreckage has scattered over an area the size of a football pitch and it will take a number of days to carry out an inquiry, due to the geography of the area and munitions from the crashed helicopter among the debris, police said.
No British military personnel is believed to have been involved.
"Police are currently dealing with a single helicopter crash in the Cley area, on the North Norfolk coast. There are believed to be four fatalities. Officers are on the scene, with a 400 metre area cordoned off," Norfolk Police said.
Police has asked the residents to stay in-doors but pedestrians and motorists were being diverted away as there was live ammunition on board, which could have posed a threat to the public.
A number of cordons were in place, closing nearby residential streets. Around a dozen emergency vehicles from the fire brigade, coastguard and police were at the scene.
Cley artist Rachel Lockwood, from the village`s Pinkfoot Gallery, said: "We had never seen so many police cars and fire engines, so went to have a look.
"The beach road to Cley is sealed off. There are lots of fire engines near the Dun Cow pub at Salthouse. A helicopter is hovering over the marsh with a light beaming down."
