A U.S. V-22 Osprey helicopter with approximately 20 Marines on board crashed near Melville Island, off the coast of Northern Australia, around 11 a.m. local time during a multi-nation military exercise.
Three U.S. military personnel were injured and airlifted to Royal Darwin Hospital, located about 60 miles south. One of the injured is in critical condition while the other two are stable, according to CareFlight, the rescue helicopter service involved.
The crash occurred during a joint training exercise involving over 2,500 troops from the U.S., Australia, the Philippines, Timor-Leste, and Indonesia, with about 500 being American soldiers.
The Australian Defence Force stated that their personnel were not affected by the accident. Northern Territory Police also confirmed that they are responding to the crash.
