A United States Marine Corps aircraft carrying troops crashed on a north Australian island yesterday, killing three Marines and injuring 20 others during a multi-nation training exercise. A statement from the Marines said, Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft crashed this morning. It said, the recovery efforts were going on and the cause of the crash was under investigation.
Northern Territory Police Commissioner Michael Murphy said, Helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft had been deployed to return from the remote location with the rest of the
injured.
According to an audio recording of the conversation, a US military official reported to Australian air traffic controllers a significant fire in the vicinity of the crash site. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, only US defense force personnel were injured in the crash which occurred during the Exercise Predators Run, which involved the militaries of the United States, Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and East Timor. The 12-day exercise is scheduled to end 7th of September. It involves troops on land, in the sea, and in the air.