During a multinational training exercise, a US Marine Corps aircraft carrying 23 Marines crashed on a north Australian island on Sunday, killing at least three and badly injuring at least five, according to officials.
The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey aircraft crashed at around 9:30 a.m., leaving three confirmed dead on Melville Island and five others transported in serious condition 80 kilometers (50 miles) to the mainland capital of Darwin for medical attention, according to a statement from the Marines.
The statement stated that recovery attempts were still in progress and that the crash's cause was being looked into.
The aircraft had been dispatched from Darwin to locate further survivors in a distant area, but hours later, no further information about the 15 additional Marines on board had been made public.
According to an audio recording of the call released on Nine News television, a US military official informed Australian air traffic controllers of a "significant fire near the crash site."
Shane Murphy, a resident of Melville, said he was fishing on a beach when the Osprey crashed and saw a "big mushroom of black smoke" emerge from the debris.
No one on board has avoided harm, according to Northern Territory Police Commissioner Michael Murphy.
Around six hours after the collision, Northern Territory Chief Minister Natasha Fyles announced that one of the injured was receiving surgery at the Royal Darwin Hospital.
We recognize what a dreadful occurrence this is, Fyles added. The Northern Territory administration is ready to provide whatever help is needed.
The incident during Exercise Predators Run, which brings together the forces of the United States, Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and East Timor, only harmed Americans, according to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
In a statement, Albanese stated, "Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the three US service members who lost their lives, those who have been injured, the remainder of the crew, and indeed the whole United States armed forces.
Australia will keep helping our friends as long as it is necessary, he continued.
Up to 2,500 US Marines cycle through Darwin each year and there are now 150 of them stationed there. They are part of an Asia-Pacific force realignment that is primarily intended to counter China's growing assertiveness.
