Three members of the Royal Navy have died after a military helicopter crashed during a training exercise in Devon, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.
The incident occurred near Sourton Down, close to Okehampton, in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Emergency services were alerted at around 3.45am after reports that a Royal Navy Merlin Mk4 helicopter had come down in a field.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the aircraft was taking part in a training exercise when it crashed.
In a post on X, the ministry said: "It is with deep sadness that we can confirm three members of the Royal Navy have died during a helicopter training exercise on Wednesday, 3 June near Sourton, Devon."
The ministry added that the families of the deceased personnel had been informed.
