5 American service members died in U.S. aircraft crash in Mediterranean

Five American service members died in a U.S. military aircraft crash in the Mediterranean, the U.S. European Command said on Sunday.

"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," EUCOM said in a statement. "All five of the service members onboard the aircraft were killed."

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the fallen," the command said.

Search and rescue efforts have begun and an investigation into the crash is underway, according to the EUCOM.

In a previous statement, the command said the mishap took place on the evening of Friday.

Although the cause of the incident remains unknown, EUCOM said: "We can definitively say that the aircraft sortie was purely related to training and there are no indications of hostile activity."