FLASH
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Three US Marines have been killed and many others injured after a military helicopter crashed during training exercises in Australia.
The MV-22B Osprey went down en route to the remote Tiwi Islands north of Darwin. Five of the marines are said to be in serious condition.
They were taking part in the Predators Run, including 2,500 troops from the US, Australia, the Philippines, East Timor and Indonesia.
Only US personnel of 23 Marines were on board the helicopter. The incident happened on Melville Island north of the Northern Territory capital Darwin on Sunday.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the incident as tragic and said every aid would be given to the injured.
"Five marines have been returned to Darwin for treatment, while the rest are being treated at the scene," local police commissioner Michael Murphy said.
"Additional police and defense personnel have been deployed to Melville Island to support operations, to search for injured persons and return them to Darwin and also to secure the scene of the crash while the investigation continues."
The incident is the second fatal helicopter crash during joint exercises in northern Australia in less than a month.
On 29 July, four Australian soldiers were presumed dead after their 45 MRH-90 Taipan crashed off the coast of Queensland while participating in exercise Talisman Sabre, the largest bilateral military training exercise between Australia and the US.
The Osprey is a hybrid that combines the features of helicopters and turbo-prop aircraft, which can travel much faster than a conventional helicopter.
But it has a troubled history, with a fatal accident in Norway last year killing four marines. Three others died in 2017 when their plane clipped the back of a cargo ship in northern Australia.
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