Seven soldiers from the Australian Army and the Timor Leste Defence Force have been injured after their armoured vehicle rolled during military training in Darwin, up in Australia’s north.
This comes just days after three U.S. Marines were killed and 20 others injured when their aircraft crashed on a remote island in the Northern Territory (NT).
Speaking to reporters on Aug. 31, NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles confirmed seven patients had been taken to the Royal Darwin Hospital, some in serious but stable conditions, and some receiving treatment for non-life-threatening injuries.
“Their families should be reassured that we can provide such high-quality care,” Ms. Fyles said, adding she had informed the East Timor ambassador in Canberra.
NT Minister Not Drawn on Whether Military Training Should Be Cancelled
The minister also deferred questions on whether the training exercises should be cancelled to the Defence Department.“That would be a question for Defence, but what I can say is that we do need to make sure that our personnel have access to that training,” she said.
“It does highlight the risk that our defence personnel undertakes not just in active service, but also in training.”
In a statement, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) said that a Bushmaster vehicle was involved in an accident at an intersection in Howard Springs RAAF base at around 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 30.
“Defence’s chief concern is for the safety and wellbeing of our soldiers. More information will be made available when appropriate.”
Six St. John Ambulance crews were also deployed to the crash site, including two intensive care paramedics, reported the ABC. Additionally, officials from Timor-Leste are currently at the RDH assessing the condition of their soldiers.
Second Fatal Incident in Less than One Week
Both military accidents occurred within days during the international war games in Darwin, dubbed Exercise Predators Run.The multinational military exercises involve 2,500 soldiers from the U.S., Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Timor-Leste. They are part of a realignment of U.S. forces in the Asia-Pacific that is intended to face an increasingly assertive China.
An investigation is underway on the Tiwi Islands into what caused the aircraft crash that claimed the lives of three U.S. marines on Aug. 27.
Investigators would remain at the site for at least 10 days, Northern Territory Police Commissioner Michael Murphy said on Aug. 28.
The Osprey that crashed was one of two that flew from Darwin to Melville on Aug. 27.
The Osprey—a hybrid aircraft that takes off and lands like a helicopter but, during flight, can tilt its propellers forward and cruise much faster like an airplane—crashed into a tropical forest and burst into flames.
Emergency responders were surprised the death toll from the aircraft crash was not higher.
“For a chopper that crashes and catches fire, to have 20 Marines that are surviving, I think that’s an incredible outcome,” Mr. Murphy said.
The bodies of Captain Eleanor LeBeau, 29, Corporal Spencer Collart, 21, and Major Tobin Lewis, 37, were recovered from the crash site on Aug. 29 and remain in Darwin.
Marles Grateful Death Toll Not Higher
Defense Minister Richard Marles was also grateful that the toll was not higher.“It’s remarkable that in many ways, so many have survived,” Mr. Marles told Nine News television.
“This remains a very tragic incident and the loss of those lives are keenly felt,” he added.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin paid tribute to the dead Marines.
“These Marines served our country with courage and pride, and my thoughts and prayers are with their families today, with the other troops who were injured in the crash, and with the entire USMC family,” Mr. Austin said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The U.S. Embassy in Canberra issued a statement offering condolences to the affected families.
A ramp ceremony will be held later in the week to mark the start of the marines’ journey back to the U.S.
