Defense

8 Marines still hospitalized after deadly crash during exercises in Australia

by Brad Dress - 08/28/23 10:32 AM ET

(Darren England/AAP Image via AP)
A MV-22B Osprey is seen coming in to land on the USS America off the coast of Brisbane, Tuesday, June 20, 2023. The Australian Defense Department said a Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft crashed on Melville Island, Sunday, Aug. 27, 2023 during Exercise Predators Run, which involves the militaries of the United States, Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines and East Timor.

Eight U.S. Marines are still hospitalized following a deadly aircraft crash in Australia over the weekend that killed three of their comrades.

Northern Territory Police said in a Monday update that the eight Marines are still recovering but did not say what condition they were in.

Emergency responders will remain at the site of the crash for the next 10 days to carry out an investigation into the cause of the crash.

Northern Territory Incident Controller Matthew Hollamby said responders are now “in the recovery phase and working closely” with police to for a “respectful recovery operation of the three deceased US Marines.”

“Our thoughts are with those affected by the tragedy, and we will do everything in our power to provide answers and closure to the families and loved ones of those involved,” Hollamby said in a statement.

An MV-22B Osprey, a tiltrotor aircraft designed for transportation of troops and equipment, crashed Sunday morning on Australia’s Melville Island. The hybrid aircraft dove into a jungle and burst into flames.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin paid his respects to the victims Sunday.

“These Marines served our country with courage and pride, and my thoughts and prayers are with their families today, with the other troops who were injured in the crash, and with the entire USMC family,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The crash occurred during a major military exercise called “Exercise Predators Run,” which is being held collectively between the armed forces of Australia, U.S., Malaysia and the Philippines.

About 150 Marines are currently in nearby Darwin for the exercise as part of a troop rotation in the Australian city.

The crash had injured 20 people, all of whom were taken to the nearby Royal Darwin hospital, with 12 discharged by Monday.

Northern Territory Chief Minister Natasha Fyles would not comment on the condition of the eight remaining Marines during a press briefing Monday.

But Fyles praised responders for getting the 20 patients “from an extremely remote location on an island into our tertiary hospital within a matter of hours.”

The Associated Press contributed.

Tags Australia Lloyd Austin