Military personnel of the U.S. Army’s one hundred and first Airborne Division take off with a Black Hawk helicopter throughout an indication 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 Images

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Daniel Mihailescu/AFP by way of Getty Images

Military personnel of the U.S. Army’s one hundred and first Airborne Division take off with a Black Hawk helicopter throughout an indication 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 Images

Five 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 news release.

Search and rescue efforts started instantly, EUCOM stated. An investigation into the crash is underway.

A U.S. plane provider and accompanying ships are working within the Mediterranean as a part of a strengthened presence to discourage Iran from getting straight concerned within the war between Israel and Hamas.

Officials stated there was no indication of hostile hearth. The Black Hawk was from the Army’s a hundred and sixtieth Special Operations Aviation Regiment.

The Department of Defense 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.

“While we continue to gather more information about this deadly crash, it is another stark reminder that the brave men and women who defend our great nation put their lives on the line each and every day to keep our country safe,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement. “They represent the best of America. We will remember their service and their sacrifice.”

It’s 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. Prior to the August crash, there had been 5 deadly crashes of Marine Osprey aircrafts since 2012, inflicting a complete of 16 deaths.

In 2021, five sailors died after a Seahawk helicopter crashed off the San Diego coast throughout routine Navy operations.

NPR’s Tom Bowman contributed to this report.