Five Americans among members of peacekeeping force killed in Egypt helicopter crash

Five American service members were killed Thursday when their helicopter crashed in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula while on a peacekeeping mission.

A spokesperson for coalition forces told CNN that the incident appeared to be an accident, and that foul play or combat was not thought to have been an issue. One American was injured during the crash but survived, according to the spokesperson. Two other foreign nationals on the peacekeeping mission, a French national and a Czech national, were also killed.

The Department of Defense initially said six Americans had been killed, but later corrected the report to five.

The initial operational reports of the loss of 6 US service members is incorrect, the DOD sadly lost 5 with 1 member hospitalized. The entire Department mourns this loss and extends our deepest condolences to our French and Czech partners in the Sinai Peninsula who lost teammates

— Department of Defense (@DeptofDefense) November 12, 2020

“[T]here is no information to indicate the crash was anything except an accident,” a DOD spokesperson said earlier Thursday, adding that an investigation would be launched. No details about those killed in the crash was immediately available.

“The department is in close contact with MFO leadership and are standing by to support their investigation. We will provide more details as they become available. We will not release the names of those lost until next-of-kin notifications are completed,” added Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman.

The department is in close contact with MFO leadership and are standing by to support their investigation. We will provide more details as they become available. We will not release the names of those lost until next-of-kin notifications are completed.

— Jonathan Hoffman (@ChiefPentSpox) November 12, 2020

Coalition forces operate in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula as a means of countering militants aligned with the Islamic State, who have launched numerous terrorist attacks targeting Egyptian forces in the region.

Representatives for the U.S.-led anti-ISIS coalition forces did not immediately return a request for comment from The Hill.

This story was updated at 6:13 after the Department of Defense revised its statements on the number of casualties.