UpdateA helicopter carrying about 20 US Marines crashed off the coast of Darwin, Australia, during an international military exercise. This is reported by Sky News Australia this morning. The number of victims is not yet clear. A rescue is underway.
RL, KVE
Latest update:
08:24
Source:
Sky News Australia, Reuters, ABC
The V22 Osprey helicopter crashed near Melville Island on Sunday around 11 a.m. local time (3:30 a.m. in Belgium) during large-scale military exercises, which saw soldiers from Australia, the United States, Indonesia, the Philippines and East Timor to join. Only American soldiers were involved in the crash of the Osprey.
A search has been launched and sources have told Sky News that there were “possible” casualties as a result of the crash, as soldiers are still missing. ABC reports that several wounded soldiers have been rescued.
‘Sky News’ understands that the military exercises are temporarily suspended.
The V-22 Osprey is a special aircraft that combines the vertical takeoff of a helicopter with the speed and range of a propeller plane.
Army exercise
This year, approximately 2,500 military personnel are involved in the international army exercise ‘Predators Run’. Mostly Australians, but also 500 soldiers from the United States, 120 from the Philippines, 120 from Indonesia and 50 from East Timor.
At the end of July, an Australian army helicopter also crashed into the sea during a military exercise east of Australia near the Whitsundays. All four occupants were killed.
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