Helicopter Crash Kills 3 US Marines In Australia; 20 Injured

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

DARWIN, AUSTRALIA (Worthy News) – Australian authorities said Sunday that three U.S.marines were killed and 20 injured after their military helicopter crashed during major military exercises on the Tiwi Islands.

Twenty-three U.S. personnel were on board an MV-22B Osprey when it came down during the multinational training program called “Exercise Predators Run 2023,” Defense officials said.

The aircraft crashed about 9.30 a.m. local time on Sunday on the remote Melville Island, 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of the city of Darwin, according to the U.S. Marine Corps. It was reportedly on its way to the Tiwi Islands when the crash occurred.

“Three have been confirmed deceased while five others were transported to Royal Darwin hospital in serious condition,” a statement from the U.S. Marine Rotational Force Darwin said.

“The Marines aboard the aircraft were flying in support of Exercise Predators Run. Recovery efforts are ongoing. The cause of the incident is under investigation,” it added in published remarks.

Melville Island resident Shane Murphy was fishing on the island at Purnali beach when the Osprey crashed, and he saw the after-effects. “It was like a big mushroom of black smoke,” the 36-year-old told Australia’s broadcaster ABC.

From the distinctive color of the smoke, he realized it wasn’t a bushfire. [I thought] that looks a bit abnormal, and then we had a look real hard, and we can see helicopters flying around where the black smoke was. So I knew something was suss, something had gone down,” Murphy added.

BLACK SMOKE

“It was really, really dark. Real black. It wasn’t like a bushfire. It was a different, different fire from this.” The crashed aircraft was reportedly one of two U.S. Osprey helicopters deployed for Exercise Predators Run 2023 which was paused following the crash.

Sunday’s tragedy was a setback for the more than 2,500 troops from the U.S., Australia, Philippines, Timor-Leste, and Indonesia participating in Exercise Predators Run 2023.

Australia’s Northern Territory police commissioner, Michael Murphy, said, “We are doing everything we can to return” injured survivors “safely back to Darwin for treatment.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the crash as a “regrettable incident.” He stressed that the “focus as a government and as the Department of Defence is very much on incident response. And on making sure that every support and assistance is given at this difficult time,” the Australian leader said.

Sunday’s helicopter accident is the second this month involving a defense helicopter in Australia after the Australian Taipan helicopter went down off the north Queensland coast earlier in August.

The accidents come amid heightened military activities in Australia, where earlier this month, 30,000 troops from the U.S., Australia, and 11 other countries participated in Talisman Sabre 2023.

The biennial joint training in different parts of Australia used to focus on the U.S. and Australia. However, it now receives growing interest from other nations in the region and beyond seeking to counter China’s growing influence in the South Pacific.

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