- Tragic Military Aircraft Crash in Northern Australia
- Hospitalized Marines and Ongoing Recovery Efforts
- History of Osprey Aircraft Incidents
Authorities reported that eight US marines were hospitalized on Monday, with one in intensive care, after a military aircraft crash in northern Australia claimed the lives of three of their compatriots.
On Sunday morning, during a military exercise for locally based forces, a Boeing MV-22B Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft crashed on Melville Island, north of Darwin, killing 23 marines.
Natasha Fyles, chief minister of the Northern Territory, stated that eight marines were still undergoing treatment and that she wanted to “reassure their families that they are receiving the best possible care and that we are working to ensure they are supported.”
Authorities are investigating the crash and recovering the corpses of the three marines who died.
A no-entry zone has been set up around the collision site.
Northern Territory Police Commissioner Michael Murphy told reporters that the recovery and investigation would be “protracted, arduous, and intricate” and that officials expected to be at the disaster site for “at least 10 days.”
He stated that “absolutely everything” was being allocated in terms of resources.
Previously, he had told local media that the aircraft had crashed in “heavy bushland.” But the presence of a nearby aerodrome aided first responders in their initial efforts.
Landing so close to the incident site allowed for rapid treatment of injuries, which “probably saved some lives,” he said.
Murphy stated that he was unable to remark on why the Osprey had crashed, despite air traffic control broadcasts from Darwin airport describing dark smoke and a “significant fire” from the crash site.
Exercise continues
An Australian defence official told AFP that the Marines’ “Predators Run” began on Monday morning after being halted on Sunday.
The small collection of Tiwi Islands that includes Melville, the accident site, will ban exercise.
Northern Australia is a vital US military staging area as Washington and Canberra resist China’s Asia-Pacific expansion.
In 2017, an Osprey trying to land hit a cargo ship near northern Australia, killing three marines.
He stated, “These are extremely close-knit communities.”
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin praised the fallen marines, stating that they “served our country with courage and pride, and my thoughts and prayers are with their families today, with the other troops who were injured in the crash, and with the entire (US Marine Corps) family”.
A series of fatal crashes have marred the annals of the Osprey aircraft over the years.
Last year, four United States marines were slain in Norway when their V-22B Osprey aircraft crashed during NATO training exercises.
In 2017, an Osprey trying to land hit a cargo ship near northern Australia, killing three marines. In 2000, 19 marines perished when their Osprey plummeted during training exercises in Arizona.
