Five brave souls fall in US military chopper disaster off Cyprus

In a heartbreaking incident, five American service members lost their lives in the eastern Mediterranean as a U.S. military MH-60 helicopter crashed during routine training, about thirty nautical miles off Cyprus.

According to a report on Philenews, the crash, attributed to a refueling accident, occurred south of Cape Greco.

President Joe Biden extended condolences, acknowledging the sacrifices made by service members. The Pentagon confirmed the crash during a routine air refueling mission but withheld the identities of the crewmembers for 24 hours out of respect for the affected families.

The MH-60 helicopter is a standard in the U.S. Army, and the personnel involved were members of a special operations team. The U.S. European Command expressed condolences to the fallen service members' families.

Connected to the aircrew members was the U.S. Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, responsible for inserting and extracting commando units. Notably, the MH-60 is a long-range, refueling-capable variant.

The New York Times reported that commando teams were sent to Cyprus in response to potential hostage rescue contingencies. This move was prompted by Hamas holding approximately 250 hostages, including around a dozen U.S. citizens, following a deadly raid into Israel on October 7.

Amidst these developments, the U.S. has deployed two aircraft carriers, along with ships and jets, to the eastern Mediterranean in the past month. The situation underscores the challenges and risks faced by military personnel in the region.