U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey pilot with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265 (Rein.), 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, transports Royal Australian Air Force and Navy senior leadership during Talisman Sabre 23, in the Coral Sea, July 22, 2023. US Marine Corps Photo
An MV-22 Osprey carrying approximately 20 U.S. Marines crashed off the coast of Darwin, Australia, local news reported Sunday morning.
The helicopter crashed around 11 a.m. local time on Melville Island while Marines were conducting “Predator Run” drills, which involve 2,500 personnel from the U.S., Australia, Philippines and Timor-Leste, Sky News reported. No Australians were on the helicopter.
The Australian Broadcast Corporation (ABC) reported no fatalities, although Sky News cited sources that said there were still unaccounted-for personnel. Multiple Marines were rescued from the crash site with three people injured, ABC reported. Two of the injured Marines are in stable condition, while the third is critical.
An Australian Defense spokesperson told both outlets that the focus is on the incident response.
This is the second aircraft crash in a week for the Marines. Late Thursday, Maj. Andrew Mettler died after his F/A-18D Hornet crashed near Miramar, Calif., during a training flight.
This story will be updated.