U.S. Military Helicopter Crashes Near N. Korea Border during Drill

A U.S. military helicopter taking part in a joint South Korea-U.S. drill crashed Tuesday near the North Korean border with no apparent casualties, officials said.

A U.S. military official identified the aircraft as a CH-53 U.S. Marine helicopter that was carrying three crew and 13 other personnel during a training exercise.

No casualties were reported.

The Yonhap news agency had previously identified the helicopter as a UH-60 Black Hawk with 12 personnel on board.

The U.S. official described the crash as a "hard landing" in Cheolwon county, which touches on the border with North Korea.

The Korean peninsula is currently at a state of heightened military tensions, partly due to North Korea's anger over the ongoing South Korea-U.S. military exercises, which it sees as an invasion rehearsal.

There are 28,500 U.S. military personnel permanently stationed in South Korea.