FORT CAMPBELL, KY (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Five Army Special Operations soldiers were killed in a helicopter crash on Saturday over the eastern Mediterranean Sea, defense officials said Sunday.
The helicopter went down off the coast of southeastern Cyprus, according to officials speaking to the Washington Post. U.S. officials identified the helicopter that went down as an MH-60, a variant of the Black Hawk helicopter flown by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, and said the accident happened during air refueling training.
“Out of respect for the families affected, we will not release further information on the personnel involved at this time,” a Saturday statement to the Washington Post said. “The cause of the training incident is currently under investigation. However, we can definitively say that the aircraft sortie was purely related to training and there are no indications of hostile activity.”
Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin said in a statement Sunday that he and the Pentagon “mourn the tragic loss of five U.S. service members. … We will remember their service and their sacrifice,” he said.
President Biden said he and first lady Jill Biden were “praying for the families and friends who have lost a precious loved one — a piece of their soul.”
“Our entire nation shares their grief,” Biden said. “When we pause to honor our nation’s veterans, 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. We pray for the families of all our fallen warriors today and every day.”