Royal Navy Tragedy: Helicopter Crash Claims Life

A Royal Navy member died when a Merlin MK4 helicopter crashed during a nighttime training exercise off the coast of England. The incident involved the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth. The defence ministry has launched a full investigation. Defence Secretary John Healey expressed condolences to the sailor's family.

A member of the Royal Navy was killed when a helicopter ditched in the English Channel during a nighttime training exercise, the UK defence ministry said Thursday.

The Merlin MK4 helicopter ditched while conducting night flying exercises with the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth off England's south coast on Wednesday, a statement by the ministry said.

The sailor's family has been informed, the statement added. No one else was killed or seriously hurt.

The ministry said "a full investigation" would be held.

Defence Secretary John Healey, on a visit to a navy warship in the port of Portsmouth, said it was "dreadful news." "All my thoughts and the thoughts of those in the wider navy I've been with today are with the family, the friends and the close colleagues of the one we've lost today," he said.

The Queen Elizabeth is one of the British navy's two aircraft carriers, alongside HMS Prince of Wales. The navy uses the Merlin mark-4 as an amphibious battlefield helicopter to deploy Royal Marine commandos.

(With inputs from agencies.)