3 US Marines die in Australia helicopter crash; 8 still in hospital

Eight of the 20 United States Marines who survived a helicopter crash that killed three in Australia on Sunday, Aug. 27 were still in the hospital as of early Monday morning, Aug. 28, Australian officials said. The first five to arrive at the hospital were in critical condition, but their current conditions have not been released.

“We are unable to comment on the conditions of those that remain in hospital out of respect to them and to their families,” Natasha Fyles, the chief minister of Australia’s Northern Territory, said Monday. “But what I can assure their families is that they are getting the best care possible and we are working to ensure that they are supported.”

The 23 were aboard a Marine V-22 Osprey when it crashed at 9:30 a.m. Sunday during a multinational training exercise. The Osprey was one of two that flew as part of Exercise Predators Run. The exercise involved the militaries of the following countries:

• The United States
• Australia
• Indonesia
• The Philippines
• East Timor

“I think for all of those who are involved, it will bring home the risks that there are in engaging in defense exercises,” Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles, who also released a statement on the incident, said Sunday. “But in articulating those risks, I’d also really want to be making clear just how important these exercises are in making sure that our defense forces are match fit, but also demonstrating the capabilities that we have in working closely with each other. And there is a deterrent effect associated with that, which is really important as well.”

All 23 Marines aboard the helicopter at the time of the crash were temporarily based in Darwin, Australia as part of the Marine Corps’ annual troop rotation. Around 150 U.S. Marines are currently based in Darwin and up to 2,500 rotate through the city every year.

Sunday’s crash was the latest U.S. military tragedy in 2023. In June, a “helicopter mishap in northeastern Syria” left 22 U.S. service members injured.

A collision between two military helicopters in Alaska has left three Army soldiers dead in April. A month prior, several people died after two Blackhawk helicopters crashed during a training exercise in Kentucky.