US military aircraft with 20 personnel onboard crashes during drills in Australia

A US military aircraft crashed during drills in Australia’s Northern Territory on Sunday with around 20 people on board, Australia’s Defence Ministry said.

Sky News Australia reported a V-22 Osprey helicopter with about 20 US Marines on board had crashed off the coast of Darwin.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) said multiple military personnel had been rescued from an aircraft crash on the Tiwi Islands, north of Darwin, and that there were no reports of fatalities.

Northern Territory Police were responding to reports of an aircraft crash on Melville Island, the fire and emergency services said in an emailed statement.

“Initial reports suggest the incident involves United States defence personnel and that Australian Defence Force members were not involved,” the ministry said in an emailed statement.

It said the incident occurred on Melville Island north of Darwin during Exercise Predator’s Run 2023.

With AFP, Reuters inputs