Three US Marines were killed when their Osprey, a hybrid vertical-takeoff aircraft, crashed on a remote tropical island off the northern Australian mainland on Sunday, a Marine official said.
“There were a total of 23 people on board. Three died and five others, injured and in serious condition, were transported to the Royal Darwin Hospital,” the official said in a statement.
The other injured are taken care of at the scene, said the same source.
The craft was participating in joint US-Australian maneuvers.
Rescue operations were complicated by the crash site, remote and sparsely populated Melville Island, located approximately 60 kilometers north of the Australian mainland.
“Rescue operations are continuing,” US authorities said, adding that an investigation was underway to determine the causes of the crash.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the incident “tragic” and “regrettable”.
The machine was taking part in the Predators Run exercises, a series of military maneuvers organized jointly by the American and Australian army.
In recent years, the US military presence in northern Australia has grown as both powers seek to thwart China’s growing influence in the Asia Pacific region.
The Osprey aircraft, resulting from an American cooperation between the aircraft manufacturer Boeing and the helicopter specialist Bell, have two engines at the end of the wings, which pivot to switch to helicopter mode to take off, or to airplane mode to fly faster. .
Their safety was called into question after several fatal accidents.
Last year, four US Marines were killed in Norway when their V-22B Osprey crashed during NATO training exercises.
In 2017, a US Army Osprey crashed into the sea after hitting the stern of a ship as part of a US-Australian military exercise, killing three people.
In April 2000, 19 Marines were killed when an Osprey crashed while training in Arizona.
Earlier this year, the US military temporarily grounded all pilots not flying critical missions, requiring them to undergo additional training following a series of security incidents.
Military exercises in Australia have already left four Australians dead last month, when a Tajan helicopter crashed into the sea as part of the “Talisman Saber” maneuvers, which brought together 30,000 soldiers from Australia, the United States and several other powers in the region. .
It crashed near the Whitsunday Islands while taking part in a night operation.
27/08/2023 12:12:47 – Sydney (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
