27-8-2023 (WASHINGTON) A tragic incident occurred on Sunday during a multinational training exercise, where a United States Marine Corps aircraft crashed on Melville Island in northern Australia. The crash resulted in the loss of three Marines’ lives and left 20 others injured.
The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft crashed around 9:30 a.m. local time, with the cause of the crash still under investigation, according to a statement released by the Marines.
Of the 23 individuals on board, three were confirmed dead at the scene on Melville Island. Five of the injured were in critical condition and were airlifted 80 kilometers (50 miles) to the city of Darwin on the Australian mainland for medical treatment.
“Recovery efforts are ongoing,” the Marine Corps statement stated.
Northern Territory Police Commissioner Michael Murphy explained that helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft were dispatched to bring the remaining injured personnel back from the remote crash site.
One of the injured individuals was undergoing surgery at the Royal Darwin Hospital, said Northern Territory Chief Minister Natasha Fyles, approximately six hours after the crash. Some of the wounded were in critical condition and received immediate triage upon their arrival at Darwin’s airport.
Fyles expressed condolences, saying, “We acknowledge that this is a terrible incident. The Northern Territory government stands ready to offer whatever assistance is required.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed that only Americans were involved in the crash, which took place during Exercise Predators Run. This exercise includes the military forces of the United States, Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and East Timor.
Albanese stated, “The initial reports suggest that the incident involves just U.S. defense force personnel. Our focus as a government and as the department of defense is very much on incident response and on making sure that every support and assistance is given at this difficult time.”
Melville Island, part of the Tiwi Islands, along with Darwin, serves as the focal point for Exercise Predators Run, involving approximately 2,500 troops. The crashed Osprey was one of two aircraft that had flown from Darwin to Melville on that fateful day.
Around 150 U.S. Marines are currently stationed in Darwin, with up to 2,500 rotating through the city each year for military training.
This tragic incident comes after another fatal military accident in July, where four Australian personnel lost their lives in an army MRH-90 Taipan helicopter crash off the northeast Australian coast, during a multination military exercise involving the U.S. military.
