A U.S. military aircraft crashed into the Mediterranean Sea during training, killing five soldiers on board.
According to Reuters, the U.S. military’s European Command said in a statement on the 12th (local time) that search and rescue operations began immediately after the plane crash and that an investigation into the cause is underway.
The U.S. European Command explained, “This aircraft sortie was purely training-related, and there were no signs of hostile activity.”
As war broke out in the Gaza Strip following the surprise attack on Israel by the Palestinian armed faction Hamas on the 7th of last month, the United States deployed two aircraft carrier groups, including the Gerald Ford and the Dwight Eisenhower, and dozens of aircraft to the eastern Mediterranean as a deterrent to prevent an escalation of war. It has been deployed.
The New York Times, citing anonymous U.S. officials, reported that the five people who died this time were members of the U.S. Army Special Operations Forces and crashed on the southeastern coast of Cyprus during an aerial refueling operation over the Mediterranean Sea in an MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.
The NYT explained that the U.S. Department of Defense had quietly dispatched members of the Joint Special Operations Command to Cyprus, including Army special forces Delta Force and Navy Special Forces Navy SEAL Team 6, and had them on standby. It is known that they were also conducting hostage rescue operation training.
The U.S. military’s European Command did not mention the type of aircraft involved in the accident or the affiliations of the deceased. It was decided that the identities of the deceased would not be disclosed until notification of the surviving families was completed.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden issued a statement and expressed his condolences to the five U.S. soldiers who died in a plane crash in the Mediterranean during a routine training mission, and paid tribute to their deaths, saying, “Our U.S. soldiers risk their lives for their country every day.” .
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.