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A Royal Navy spokesperson said it was "with deep sadness that we can confirm three members of the Royal Navy have died during a helicopter training exercise".
They added: "The families of the service personnel have been informed and have requested a period of grace before further details are released. Our thoughts and sympathies are with their families and friends at this sad time.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said on X that the fatal crash was "utterly tragic" and his "thoughts are with the families, friends and loved ones of the three members of the Royal Navy who sadly lost their lives".
Head of the navy, General Sir Gwyn Jenkins said: "I know this will come as a huge shock to all in our naval community, and my deepest condolences go out to the families, friends and loved ones impacted by this tragedy."
He confirmed that the helicopter was a Merlin Mk4, which are known to be based at RNAS Yeovilton in Somerset.
He also thanked Devon and Cornwall Police and the search and rescue teams who responded to the crash.
Defence Secretary John Healey said he was "devastated by the loss of three service personnel".
A simplified map of part of Devon in south‑west England shows the area around Okehampton and Sourton Down. The town of Okehampton is labelled on the right, with major roads including the A30 running east–west and the A3079 north of the town.
A section of the A386 southwest of Okehampton is highlighted in red, indicating a closure. The highlighted stretch runs roughly north–south near Sourton Down.
A red text box on the map reads: “Helicopter crash led to road closure on A386.”
In the lower left corner is a small inset map of the United Kingdom with a red dot marking the location in the southwest of England.
A scale bar in the lower right shows distances of 1 km and 2,000 ft.
At the bottom, the source is credited as “Devon and Cornwall Police,” alongside BBC branding.
A major incident was declared after the crash happened at about 04:00
Merlin Mk4 helicopters are based at RNAS Yeovilton in Somerset with the Commando Helicopter Force, which operates 25 Merlin Mk4 helicopters for the Royal Marines.
Military helicopters often train in the area around north Dartmoor, which lies between the air bases at Yeovilton and Culdrose.Road closures have been put in place following the crash near the A30 and A386 in Devon
Witnesses at the scene said they heard noises that sounded like "troubled mechanics" as a helicopter flew over.
One described it as "sounding not right" as it flew over his house and said "it almost took the roof off" his home.
The scene is also close to Okehampton battle camp, a military facility on the edge of Dartmoor which has been used for training Merlin helicopter crews from the Commando Helicopter Force.
In September 2024, a Merlin Mk4 ditched in the Channel during a training exercise, killing Lt Rhodri Leyshon.
In March 2004 a Merlin crashed at RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall. Two men were trapped in the aircraft and later flown to hospital. Three other crewmen on board were also hurt in the incident.
In October 2000, a Royal Navy Merlin helicopter ditched off Skye. Five crew were rescued.
Devon and Cornwall Police Chief Constable James Vaughan said the emergency services, navy and Civil Aviation Authority attended the scene.