3 US Marines killed, 20 injured in Osprey crash in Australia
Three US Marines were killed and 20 others were injured in a crash of an Osprey aircraft in Australia on Sunday, according to BBC News. The MV-22B Osprey crashed while en route to Tiwi Island, north of Darwin. Five other Marines are in critical condition.
The aircraft was carrying 23 people when it crashed on Melville Island, about 60 kilometres north of the Australian mainland. Emergency services responded to the scene and transported the injured to Royal Darwin Hospital.
The cause of the crash is under investigation. The Osprey is a tiltrotor aircraft that can take off and land like a helicopter and fly like an aeroplane. It is used by the US military for a variety of missions, including troop transport and cargo.
This is the second deadly aircraft accident during military exercises in Australia in less than a month. On July 28, four Australian soldiers were killed after a 45 MRH-90 Taipan helicopter crashed off the coast of Queensland.
The safety of Osprey aircraft has been called into question following several fatal accidents. In 2022, four Marines were killed in the crash of an Osprey in Norway. And in 2017, three Marines were killed after an Osprey aircraft crashed into the sea during a US-Australian military exercise.
