Five members of a US special operations unit were killed on Friday when their helicopter crashed in the eastern Mediterranean during a training mission, US officials said Sunday.

The soldiers on the helicopter were US Army special operations personnel, according to two US officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

In a statement, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin described the crash as a “training accident”.

The European Command of the US Armed Forces (EUCOM) announced that search and conference operations began immediately after the crash and an investigation into its causes is also underway.

The United States has deployed two aircraft carriers – the Ford and Eisenhower – along with escort ships and dozens of aircraft in the eastern Mediterranean after the attack carried out on October 7 by Hamas in Israel. These forces act as a deterrent to ensure that the conflict does not escalate.

The US European Command, which oversees US military operations in Europe and parts of the Middle East, confirmed the crash on Saturday.

“We can definitively say that the exit of the aircraft was purely related to training and no signs of hostile activity“, the European Administration said on Saturday.

The identities of the victims will not be released until their families have been notified, the administration added.

US President Joe Biden expressed his condolences in a statement yesterday.