ISTANBUL

Two people died and one went missing after a helicopter crashed Tuesday near the town of Grimma in the eastern German state of Saxony, the Defense Ministry announced.

"This morning, an EC-135 helicopter crashed near Grimma, east of Leipzig, during Bundeswehr flight operations. Two crew members were recovered dead, and another crew member is currently still missing," the ministry wrote in a statement.

Search and rescue operations are still underway, while an investigation has been opened to learn the causes and circumstances of the accident.

"The EC-135 helicopter was on a training flight. It was a leased aircraft for training purposes and was used by Helicopter Squadron 64," the ministry added.​​​​​​​