Royal Navy helicopter crashes into field

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George ThorpeDevon

News image — Road closures have been put in place following a helicopter crash near the A30 and A386 in Devon

BBC Highways workers stand at the scene of a road closure following a helicopter crash near Okehampton, Devon. Three red ROAD CLOSED signs are on the road. There are several traffic cones lined up to block entrance and three vans parked along the road. The two men stood by the signs are wearing high-vis clothing. A bridge is running over the road. — Road closures have been put in place following a helicopter crash near the A30 and A386 in Devon

A Royal Navy helicopter has crashed into a field in an incident police have described as "ongoing".

Devon and Cornwall Police said emergency services were at the scene in Sourton Down near Okehampton in Devon.

Military helicopters often train in the area around north Dartmoor, and the Ministry of Defence confirmed it belonged to the Royal Navy.

A Royal Navy spokesperson said the incident happened just before 04:00 BST and an investigation was underway, adding "it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time".

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Roads in the area were closed at about 04:30 and National Highways said the closure of the A386, between the A30 at Sourton Down and the A3079 Fowley Cross in Okehampton, is expected to be in place until 13:30.

Staff at Sourton Cross Service Station, which is located near the scene, said the services were currently inaccessible.

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