A United States military aircraft on Sunday crashed.
The incident happened during a multinational training exercise, in a northern Australian island which resulted in the tragic loss of three Marines’ lives and injuries to 20 individuals, according to officials.
Confirming the casualties, it was reported that three Marines lost their lives on Melville Island.
Five of the 23 individuals on board the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft were airlifted in serious condition 80 kilometers (50 miles) to the mainland city of Darwin for medical treatment, as stated in a release by the US Marines.
The incident occurred around 9:30 am local time.
The incident took place during the annual Predator Run exercises, which involves military forces from Australia, the United States, East Timor, Indonesia, and the Philippines, as reported by Australia’s defense ministry.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese termed the crash as a “tragic” occurrence and emphasized the government’s focus on incident response and support for those affected.
Notably, Australian personnel were not involved in the crash, according to Albanese.
Over the years, both the US and Australia, key allies in the Pacific region, have intensified their military cooperation in response to the growing assertiveness of China.
This unfortunate event comes a month after four Australian soldiers lost their lives when their helicopter crashed into the sea off the coast of Queensland.
The ill-fated aircraft was participating in Talisman Sabre, a joint military exercise involving 13 nations and over 30,000 personnel, including countries like the US, Australia, Japan, France, and Germany.
The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is a tilt-rotor aircraft combining helicopter and turboprop plane features, equipped with two swiveling engines positioned on fixed wingtips. This design allows it to perform vertical takeoffs and landings while achieving higher speeds compared to conventional helicopters.
However, the safety record of the Osprey aircraft has faced scrutiny due to several fatal incidents. The aircraft has been involved in crashes resulting in fatalities, including incidents in California, Norway, and Australia.
