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A military helicopter carrying about 20 U.S. Marines crashed Sunday morning during an exercise in Australia's Northern Territory, injuring three military personnel, according to officials.
The V-22 Osprey helicopter crashed at about 11 a.m. local time near Melville Island off the coast of the city of Darwin as military personnel from the U.S., Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Timor-Leste were participating in exercise drills, according to Sky News.
A spokesperson for Australia's Department of Defence confirmed the incident in a statement to Fox News Digital and said no Australians were involved in the crash.
"Defence can confirm an aircraft incident occurred mid-morning on 27 August on Melville Island, north of the city of Darwin, during Exercise Predator’s Run 2023," the spokesperson said. "Initial reports suggest the incident involves United States defence personnel and that Australian Defence Force members were not involved. At this critical early stage, our focus is on the incident response and ensuring the safety of those involved."
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Multiple military personnel were rescued from the aircraft crash on the Tiwi Islands, located north of Darwin, and there have been no reports of fatalities, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
Three military personnel were transported by helicopter to Royal Darwin Hospital following the crash, including one with critical injuries, rescue helicopter operator CareFlight said in a statement. The other two were listed in stable condition.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense said in a statement to Fox News Digital that it is "aware of the public reporting on this, but we do not have anything we can provide at this time."
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Predators' Run exercises will be paused following the crash, according to Sky News. There are roughly 2,500 people involved in the exercises, including 500 from the U.S., 120 from the Philippines, 120 from Indonesia and 50 from Timor Leste.
Northern Territory Police responded to the crash, the fire and emergency services said in a statement.
Sources told Sky News some personnel remain unaccounted for as rescue operations continue.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
August 27, 2023 at 12:20PM
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