Eight U.S. Marines are currently hospitalized in the city of Darwin on Australia’s north coast after sustaining injuries in a fiery aircraft crash that tragically claimed the lives of three of their fellow colleagues on an island.
Following the crash of a Marine V-22 Osprey at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday during a multinational training exercise, all 20 survivors were swiftly transported from Melville Island, situated 80 kilometers (50 miles) to the south, to Darwin. This transfer was carried out within hours of the incident, according to statements made by Northern Territory Chief Minister Natasha Fyles.
All the survivors were admitted to the Royal Darwin Hospital, with 12 having been discharged by Monday, Fyles reported. Initially, the first five Marines admitted to the hospital were critically wounded, with one undergoing emergency surgery.
Fyles, in deference to the affected individuals and their families, refrained from providing detailed information regarding the conditions of the remaining eight Marines who are still hospitalized.
Fyles praised the efficient response that facilitated the transfer of the 20 patients from the remote island to the city’s tertiary hospital in such a short span of time.
The Marine V-22 Osprey that was involved in the crash was one of two that had flown from Darwin to Melville Island on Sunday as part of Exercise Predators Run, a multinational military training endeavor that encompasses the United States, Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and East Timor.
The 23 Marines aboard the ill-fated aircraft were temporarily stationed in Darwin as part of the Marine Corps’ annual troop rotation. The U.S. has approximately 150 Marines based in Darwin, and up to 2,500 Marines rotate through the city each year. This presence is part of the broader strategy to adjust U.S. forces in the Asia-Pacific region in response to an increasingly assertive China.
While the bodies of the three Marines remain at the crash site, the area will be maintained as an exclusion zone, as noted by Northern Territory Police Commissioner Michael Murphy.
The cause of the crash remains undetermined, and investigators will remain at the site for at least 10 days, according to Murphy. The Osprey, a hybrid aircraft with vertical takeoff and landing capabilities that can tilt its propellers forward for faster cruising, crashed into a tropical forest and ignited into flames.
Prior to this incident, there have been five fatal crashes involving Marine Ospreys since 2012, resulting in a total of 16 fatalities. The most recent was in June 2022, claiming the lives of five Marines in a fiery crash in a remote region of California. A crash investigation report from the previous month attributed the tragedy to a mechanical failure linked to a clutch.
Although the Marine Ospreys had experienced 16 similar clutch-related issues during flight since 2012, no such problems had arisen since February when the Marine Corps began replacing a specific component, as indicated by the report.
Responders expressed their astonishment that the casualty count from Sunday’s crash was not higher. “For a helicopter to crash and catch fire, having 20 surviving Marines is truly remarkable,” commented Murphy.
Defense Minister Richard Marles also expressed gratitude that the situation was not worse. He acknowledged the tragic nature of the incident and extended condolences for the lives lost.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin commemorated the fallen Marines, recognizing their service and extending thoughts and prayers to their families and injured colleagues.
The U.S. Embassy in Australia issued a statement conveying condolences to the families and friends of the deceased Marines and expressing appreciation for the assistance provided by Australian responders.
Source: With Agencies