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.
During a routine air refueling mission as part of military training, a U.S. military aircraft carrying five service members suffered a mishap and crashed into the Mediterranean Sea. All five of the service members onboard the aircraft were killed. Out of respect for the affected families, and in accordance with Department of Defense policy, the identities of the crewmembers are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin notifications have been completed.
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:
Jill and I mourn the loss of 5 American service members who died when their aircraft crashed in the Mediterranean Sea during a routine training mission. We 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.
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.
