US military aircraft crashes over the Tiwi Islands in the Northern Territory
- Aircraft was carrying US marines
- It crashed at 9.43 on Sunday morning
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A rescue operation is underway after a US military aircraft crashed in the Northern Territory with several members onboard missing and others injured.
The V-22 Osprey was carrying around 20 US marines before it crashed on the remote Melville Island, about 80km off the coast from Darwin at 9.43am on Sunday.
Several personnel have been rescued from the crash site and there are no reports of fatalities.
‘Initial reports suggest the incident involves United States defence personnel and that Australian Defence Force members were not involved,’ a Department of Defence spokesperson said.
‘At this critical early stage, our focus is on the incident response and ensuring the safety of those involved.
The V-22 Osprey was carrying around 20 US marines before it crashed over the Tiwi Islands at 9.43am on Sunday. A V-22 Osprey is pictured
An aviation tracker Twitter account (pictured) reported that an ‘RAAF C-130 has been circling the area for some time and a Careflight helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft are also on scene’
‘More information will be provided when appropriate.’
The crash comes as the Territory’s largest Australian-led military exercise, the Predators Run, is underway.
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The exercise includes 2,500 soldiers, of whom around 500 are US marines. There are also soldiers from the Philippines, Indonesian and East Timor as well as Australian personnel.
The Predators Run exercises has reportedly been paused following the crash.
An aviation tracker Twitter account reported that an ‘RAAF C-130 has been circling the area for some time and a Careflight helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft are also on scene’.
US Marines are seen at the ADF Robertson Barracks in Darwin on Wednesday, March 23, 2022
Last month, four Australian Defence Force personnel were killed when an MRH-90 Taipan ditched into the ocean off Lindeman Island, near Hamilton Island in north Queensland.
The crew had been participating in Exercise Talisman Sabre – joint military training between Australia, the US and 11 other ally countries.
The men killed in the crash were Captain Daniel Lyon, Lieutenant Maxwell Nugent, Corporal Alexander Naggs and Warrant Officer Class Two Joseph Phillip Laycock.
In 2017 three US marines were killed during a military training exercise when an MV-22 Osprey carrying 26 crew members ditched into the water off the Queensland coast at Shoalwater Bay.
The remaining 23 members of that crew were rescued.
More to come.
