Five United States service members were killed when their aircraft crashed in the eastern Mediterranean Sea on Friday evening.

The deaths were confirmed by the U.S. European Command in a statement, which said that the crash was due to an accident during a routine refueling.

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"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," it read. "All five of the service members onboard the aircraft were killed."

As per Department of Defense policy, the identities of the dead are being withheld for 24 hours as family members are notified.

"Search and rescue efforts began immediately, including nearby U.S. military aircraft and ships," the statement said about the accident. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the fallen. An investigation into the crash is underway."

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The statement did not reveal what branch the aircraft and dead servicemen belonged to.

The crash occurred around where the U.S.S Gerald R. Ford was deployed, near Cyprus and Lebanon, where it had been positioned as deterrence for a potential Hezbollah attack on Israel following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack against Israel.