Five soldiers die in the helicopter that crashed in the Mediterranean Sea
The aircraft was carrying out training maneuvers at the time of the accident. The identity of the victims has not yet been released..
The five soldiers who were on board the helicopter UH-60 that crashed in the eastern Mediterranean Sea died on impact. The five victims are Chief Warrant Officer Stephen R. Dwyer, Chief Warrant Officer Shane M. Barnes, Staff Sergeant Tanner W. Grone, Sergeant Andrew P. Southard and Sergeant Cade M. Wolfe, according to Associated Press.
Through a statement, the United States European Command (USEUCOM) - one of the eleven combatant commands of the Department of Defense (DOD) - confirmed the news, at the moment, out of respect for their families, the identity of the victims have not been revealed.
The command activated a search and rescue response as soon as the accident was reported, deploying all necessary resources to achieve its objective as quickly as possible.
The Biden Administration conveys its condolences
DOD Secretary Lloyd Austin issued a message mourning "the tragic loss of five U.S. service members." In addition, he confirmed that investigators continue to "gather more information" about the accident. Who also conveyed his condolences was President Joe Biden:
As soon as the accident occurred, it was not specified what type of military aircraft it was or the number of victims until the search and rescue efforts were completed.