Three US Marines died in an aircraft accident off the coast of northern Australia on Sunday while transporting troops during a regular military exercise, officials disclosed.
Five others were “transported to Royal Darwin Hospital in serious condition,” Marine Rotation Force-Darwin disclosed.
They were among 23 Marines on the MV-22B Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft when it crashed, and the cause of the tragedy is being probed, statement reads.
The collision happened at 9.30 a.m. (0130 GMT) on the remote Tiwi Islands, the statement reads.
The event was described as “tragic” by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who stated that the Osprey was assisting the military drill Predators Run 2023. He stated that no Australian servicemen were involved in the crash.
“Our focus as a government and as a department of defence is very much on incident response and making sure that every support and assistance is given at this difficult time,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said at a press conference in Western Australia.
The exercises involved around 2,500 people from Australia, the United States, the Philippines, Indonesia, and East Timor.
In response to an increasingly aggressive China, the United States and Australia, a crucial Pacific partner, have increased military cooperation in recent years.
“Australian and American personnel have stood shoulder to shoulder for more than a century,” Albanese and Defence Minister Richard Marles said in a joint statement.
“This incident serves as a reminder of the value of the service provided by our personnel and those of our partner nations.”
Last month, four Australian troops were killed when their helicopter crashed into the water off the coast of Queensland during massive bilateral drills.
