Australia: US military aircraft carrying 20 american Marines crashes during exercises

A US military aircraft came down on an island off the northern coast of Australia on Sunday morning, with no reported deaths among the more than 20 US service personnel on board, the Australian Defence Ministry said.

Local police said 23 US Marines were injured in the crash, with five people being taken to two mainland hospitals, one with critical injuries.

The aircraft, reported to be a US Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey, crashed during a multinational military exercise involving soldiers from Australia, the US, the Philippines, Indonesia and Timor-Leste.

No Australian military personnel were reported to have been involved.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the "tragic" incident was "regrettable" and "difficult."  

What do we know about the incident?

Several military personnel had been rescued from an aircraft crash on the Tiwi Islands, north of Darwin, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) said.

There were no reports of deaths, the broadcaster said.

It cited a spokesperson from Australia's Defence Ministry as saying that "initial reports suggest the incident involves United States defense personnel and that Australian Defence Force members were not involved." 

The ministry said the incident occurred on Melville Island — one of the Tiwi Islands — during Exercise Predator's Run 2023.

Melville Island is located some 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of the Australian mainland in the eastern Timor Sea. 

Increased military cooperation

The Osprey aircraft involved is a tilt-rotor aircraft that combines features of both helicopters and turboprop planes, according to the US Air Force.

The US and Australia have been stepping up military cooperation in recent years amid concern about China's growing geopolitical assertiveness in the region.

A helicopter crash last month off the coast of the northeastern state of Queensland during large-scale bilateral exercises killed four Australian soldiers.