The identities of some five US soldiers murdered in a UH-60 helicopter crash in Sinai, Egypt, have been released.
The US Army released the identities today, Saturday 14, 2020.
According to local media reports in the US, the crash occurred on Thursday, November 12, 2020.
Reports say the dead soldiers were part of peacekeeping operations with the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) mission.
The names of the dead Soldiers were given as:
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Dallas Gearld Garza, 34, from Fayetteville, N.C.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Marwan Sameh Ghabour, 27, from Marlborough, Mass.
Staff Sgt. Kyle Robert McKee, 35, from Painesville, Ohio
Sgt. Jeremy Cain Sherman, 23, from Watseka, Ill.
Capt. Seth Vernon Vandekamp, 31, from Katy, Texas.
Reports suggest that another US citizen remains hospitalized in very serious condition.
Reports say a mechanical fault has been suspected as the cause of the crash.
An estimated 300 to 400 US are localized in the Sinai as part of a U.N. peacekeeping mission.
The peacekeeping mission dates back to the signing of the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt in 1979.
Sinai is situated in the Straits of Tiran, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba.
In a statement earlier, the Mission noted that “During a routine mission in the vicinity of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, eight uniformed members of the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) were involved in a helicopter crash.”
“We are deeply saddened to report that seven MFO members were killed; this includes five U.S. citizens, one French and one Czech. One U.S. MFO Member survived and was medically evacuated. Names are being withheld pending notification of next of kin,” the peacekeeping mission said.
By Melvin Tarlue