Army personnel of the U.S. Military’s one hundred and first Airborne Division take off with a Black Hawk helicopter throughout an illustration drill at Mihail Kogalniceanu Airbase close to Constanta, Romania on July 30, 2022. A Black Hawk helicopter crashed over the weekend within the Mediterranean Sea.
Daniel Mihailescu/AFP by way of Getty Photos
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Daniel Mihailescu/AFP by way of Getty Photos
Army personnel of the U.S. Military’s one hundred and first Airborne Division take off with a Black Hawk helicopter throughout an illustration drill at Mihail Kogalniceanu Airbase close to Constanta, Romania on July 30, 2022. A Black Hawk helicopter crashed over the weekend within the Mediterranean Sea.
Daniel Mihailescu/AFP by way of Getty Photos
5 American service members had been killed throughout a coaching train after a navy Black Hawk helicopter crashed into the Mediterranean Sea on Saturday morning, protection officers stated.
The incident occurred throughout a routine air refueling mission, the U.S. European Command stated in a information launch.
Search and rescue efforts started instantly, EUCOM stated. An investigation into the crash is underway.
A U.S. plane service and accompanying ships are working within the Mediterranean as a part of a strengthened presence to discourage Iran from getting straight concerned within the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Officers stated there was no indication of hostile hearth. The Black Hawk was from the Military’s a hundred and sixtieth Particular Operations Aviation Regiment.
The Division of Protection is withholding the identities of these killed till 24 hours after subsequent of kin have been notified.
The crash got here a day after Veterans Day ceremonies honored fallen American service members.
”Whereas we proceed to collect extra details about this lethal crash, it’s one other stark reminder that the courageous women and men who defend our nice nation put their lives on the road each day to maintain our nation secure,” Secretary of Protection Lloyd Austin stated in an announcement. ”They characterize the most effective of America. We’ll bear in mind their service and their sacrifice.”
It is the newest in a string of deadly crashes which have occurred throughout navy workout routines lately.
In August, an plane crash throughout a navy coaching train in north Australia’s Melville Island killed three of the 23 Marines aboard. Previous to the August crash, there had been 5 deadly crashes of Marine Osprey aircrafts since 2012, inflicting a complete of 16 deaths.
In 2021, 5 sailors died after a Seahawk helicopter crashed off the San Diego coast throughout routine Navy operations.
NPR’s Tom Bowman contributed to this report.