Three US Marines died and five are in critical condition following a military aircraft crash off the coast of Darwin in Australia’s Northern Territory. The V-22 Osprey went down while performing drills with military personnel from other nations on Melville Island about 60 kilometres (37 miles) from Darwin on Sunday, the US Marine Rotational Force said in a statement. The cause of the incident is under investigation.
“There were a total of 23 personnel on board,” the force said in the statement. “Three have been confirmed deceased while five others were transported to Royal Darwin Hospital in a serious condition.”
An Australian Defence spokesperson earlier confirmed that an aircraft incident occurred mid-morning during Exercise Predator’s Run 2023, without providing details. The drills involved military personnel from the US, Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Timor-Leste, according to a report from Sky News Australia.
It is the latest deadly crash to involve an Osprey aircraft, with numerous accidents involving Osprey military aircraft reported over the years. In 2022 five US Marines died after their MV-22B Osprey plane crashed during a training mission near Glamis, California. The same year four US service members were killed when their Osprey crashed during NATO training exercises in Norway.
The incident comes just a month after four Australian army aircrew members died after an MRH-90 Taipan helicopter crashed into the sea near Hamilton Island off the east coast of Australia during an exercise that was part of joint drills with the United States.
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