On Sunday, an aircraft carrying troops during a regular military exercise crashed off the coast of northern Australia, killing three U.S. Marines, according to officials.
Marine Rotation Force – Darwin stated in a press release that five further people were “transported to Royal Darwin Hospital in serious condition.”
The MV-22B Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft carrying them was one of 23, according to the statement, which also said that the cause of the incident was being looked into.
According to the statement, the accident happened at around 9.30 a.m. on the isolated Tiwi Islands.
Anthony Albanese, the prime minister of Australia, described the incident as “tragic” and noted that the Osprey was aiding the military exercise Predators Run 2023. According to him, there was no Australian personnel present at the crash site.
The prime minister stated at a previously arranged press conference in Western Australia, “Our focus as a government and as a department of defence is very much on incident response and on making sure that every support and assistance is given at this difficult time.”
The drills involved about 2,500 personnel from Australia, the United States, the Philippines, Indonesia, and East Timor.
In response to a more assertive China, the U.S. and Australia, a significant ally in the Pacific, have increased their military cooperation recently.
“Australian and US personnel have stood shoulder to shoulder for more than a century,” Albanese and Defence Minister Richard Marles said in a joint statement.
This tragedy serves as a reminder of the importance of the work done by our employees and those of our partner countries.
Last month, four Australian soldiers perished when their chopper crashed into the water off the coast of Queensland during significant bilateral exercises.
