Recovery and rescue teams are working tirelessly on a remote island off the Northern Territory coast following a tragic military plane crash that claimed the lives of three US Marines.

The crash involved a US military Boeing MV-22B Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft carrying a total of 23 Marines. The incident occurred on Melville Island, situated 80 kilometers north of Darwin, on Sunday morning. Three Marines lost their lives in the crash, and five others sustained serious injuries and were transported to the Royal Darwin Hospital.

Marine Rotation Force – Darwin confirmed these details in a statement. The cause of the crash is under investigation, and investigators are faced with the grim task of determining what led to this tragic event.

Royal Darwin Hospital declared a Code Brown, the highest level of alert in the country, in response to the incident. NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles pledged all available resources to ensure the injured Marines were transported to the hospital.

Crash site

The crash site has been secured by defense force personnel and NT Police. The military training exercise in which the troops were participating has been temporarily suspended.

Chief Commissioner Michael Murphy explained that the remote location of the incident made the rescue operation particularly challenging, involving both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. An emergency operation center that was originally set up to combat fires in the territory has been redirected to the crash site. The national critical care and trauma response team is triaging patients before their transportation.

The Department of Defence clarified that the incident occurred during Exercise Predator’s Run 2023 and did not involve any Australian Defence Force members.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed the government’s commitment to providing support during this difficult time, emphasizing that the focus is on incident response and assistance.

Joint statement

In a joint statement, Prime Minister Albanese and Defence Minister Richard Marles underscored the long-standing partnership between Australian and US personnel, acknowledging the importance of their service.

Opposition defence spokesman Andrew Hastie noted the accident as a reminder of the strong bonds between Australia and the US, forged through sacrifice, and emphasized the ongoing mission to prepare for strategic challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.

The US embassy expressed gratitude to the rescue operation and emphasized the enduring friendship between Australians and Americans.

RSL Australia President Greg Melick extended condolences to those affected by the tragedy and highlighted the inherent risks faced by service personnel.