March 11 (UPI) -- Three people aboard a medical helicopter were killed when the aircraft crashed in rural Mississippi, officials said.
A Columbus-based medical transport helicopter "had an accident" in Madison County, located north of Jackson, on Monday afternoon, the University of Mississippi Medical Center said in a statement.
Two UMMC crew members and a pilot from Med-Trans, which owned and operated the AirCare helicopter, were aboard the aircraft when it went down.
"Sadly, there were no survivors," UMMC said.
"Our sympathies are with the families of the crew and everyone who worked with or knew them," it added.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known and was under investigation by both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
The NTSB said in a statement on X that it was launching a "go-team" to investigate the crash, which was expected to arrive on the scene on Tuesday.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said he and first lady Elee Reeves were praying for the victims.
"It's a tragic reminder of the risks Mississippi's first responders take every day to keep us safe," he said on Facebook. "Our state will never forget the sacrifice of these heroes."
The crash prompted officials to close the Natchez Trace Parkway, which reopened a few hours later.
The incident comes a little over a month after six people were killed when a medical helicopter crashed in Philadelphia.
