Three Marines were killed when a plane crashed on a remote island north of Australia during exercises, US military officials said.
According to the foreign news agency “AFP”, US officials said that 5 marines were rescued from the accident site and were taken to a hospital in Darwin in critical condition, while the Australian police said that they should go The rest of the injured staff are being examined at the scene.
A total of 23 personnel were on board, US military officials said in a statement.
Officials said three people were confirmed dead while five others were taken to the Royal Darwin Hospital in a critical condition, with rescue efforts complicated by the location of the crash.
U.S. officials said rescue efforts are ongoing while an investigation into the cause of the incident has begun.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albany described the incident as tragic and said that we want to ensure that any information provided is accurate.
He told reporters that the Osprey was participating in exercises with a helicopter and aircraft, a series of joint combat exercises involving thousands of troops from the United States and Australia, as well as Indonesian and Philippine forces. are
Northern Australia has become an increasingly important battleground for the US military in recent years, as Washington and Canberra work together to counter China’s growing influence in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Osprey has a troubled history, having been plagued by a number of serious accidents over the years.
Four US Marines were killed in Norway last year when their V-22B Osprey crashed during NATO training exercises.
Three more Marines were killed in 2017 when an Osprey crashed after crashing into the back of a transport ship while attempting to land off Australia’s northern coast.
Earlier in 2000, 19 Marines were also killed in a training crash in Arizona.
The US military earlier this year temporarily grounded all pilots not involved in critical missions, forcing them to complete more training after a series of safety incidents.
According to the U.S. Air Force, Ospreys are fast tilting aircraft.
This hybrid aircraft has two rotary engines mounted on the wingtips that enable it to land and take off vertically, but it travels much faster than a conventional helicopter.
Today’s incident follows a deadly training accident last month in which four Australians died when a helicopter crashed into the sea during a series of multinational war games in Queensland.
The Taipan was taking part in the massive Talisman Saber exercise, which brought together 300,000 military personnel from Australia, the US and several other countries.
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2024-07-29 11:00:58
