Five US military special operations troops were killed in a refueling accident during training that caused a helicopter carrying them to crash into the Mediterranean Sea, the American defense department said in a statement Monday.
US European Command said search and rescue operations were launched immediately following the crash and an investigation into its cause was under way. The troops onboard the helicopter were US army special operations personnel, according to two US officials speaking on the condition of anonymity.
The United States has deployed two aircraft carriers – the Ford and the Eisenhower – along with supporting ships and dozens of aircraft to the eastern Mediterranean since Hamas’s 7 October attack on Israel to act as a deterrent to ensure the conflict does not expand.
US European Command, which oversees American military operations in Europe and parts of the Middle East, confirmed the crash on Saturday.
“We can definitively say that the aircraft sortie was purely related to training and there are no indications of hostile activity,” the European Command said on Saturday. It did not identify the helicopter involved.
The European command did not release additional details but said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the fallen.”
The names of those killed had not been immediately released as officials worked to notify their relatives.
Citing anonymous sources, the New York Times later reported that the aircraft at the center of the crash was an MH-60 helicopter that went down off the coast of Cyprus. The Times’s report said the killed military members were members of the US army special operations forces.
The air force has sent additional squadrons to the region and the USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier, which has an array of aircraft on board, has also been operating in the eastern Mediterranean.
The New York Times report said the army and navy had sent Delta Force and Seal team units to stand by in case they were needed to help evacuate American citizens from the region.
Such commandos are trained in hostage rescue operations, which is notable because hostages taken by Hamas included Americans. But, as the Times noted, the White House has said it has no plans to put US military members on the ground in Gaza, where Israel has launched a war.
Joe Biden issued a statement mourning the military members’ deaths, saying that they illustrate how service operators “put their lives on the line for our country every day”.
The president added: “They willingly take risks to keep the American people safe and secure. And their daily bravery and selflessness is an enduring testament to what is best in our nation.”
As ABC News noted, Biden alluded to how the crash occurred at the start of the weekend commemorating Veterans Day. The president’s statement said: “We once more affirm the sacred obligation we bear to those who volunteer to serve our nation as well as their families, caregivers and survivors.
“[First lady] Jill [Biden] and I are praying for the families and friends who have lost a precious loved one – a piece of their soul. Our entire nation shares their grief.”
Reuters and the Associated Press contributed reporting