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Three U.S. Marines were killed when an aircraft crashed on an island off Australia’s northern coast, the Marine Corps said Sunday.
The MV-22B Osprey, tiltrotor aircraft came down “while transporting troops during a routine training exercise,” on Melville Island, north of Darwin, the Marine Corps said in a statement.
Five others in “serious condition” were transported to the Royal Darwin Hospital about 60 miles to the south of the island, the statement said. “There were a total of 23 personnel on board,” it added.
A spokesperson confirmed to NBC News that all of those on board were Marines.
“The Marines aboard the aircraft were flying in support of Exercise Predators Run,” the statement said, adding that “the cause of the incident is under investigation.”
Calling it a “tragic incident,” Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told a news conference that his government’s focus was “very much on incident response and on making sure that every support and assistance is given.”
“The initial reports suggests that the incident involves just U.S. Defense Force personnel, that there are no members of the Australian Defense Force involved in this incident,” he said.
He added his government and defense department were “also very much focused on providing that practical assistance on the ground.”
Military cooperation between the U.S. and Australia has ramped up in recent years. Four Australian soldiers were killed during exercises last month when their helicopter crashed into the ocean off the coast of Queensland.
