US officials said there were 23 crew members on board the plane that crashed.
The Marine Corps on Monday identified the three Marines who were killed Sunday when their Osprey aircraft crashed during a training exercise off Australia’s northern coast.
The MV-22B Osprey was carrying 23 service members when it went down around 9:30 a.m. near the Tiwi Islands in Australia’s Northern Territory, Marine officials said.
The three slain Marines have been identified as:
„We are deeply saddened by the loss of three respected and beloved members of the MRF-D family. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and all involved,” said Col. Brendan Sullivan, commanding officer of Marine Rotational Force-Darwin.
Three other Marines were hospitalized, one in critical condition, according to a Marine press release.
Officials said the Osprey was carrying troops as part of a „routine training exercise” in support of the joint military exercise Exercise Predators Run.
Officials said rescue and investigation operations are ongoing. The cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained.
Two days earlier, a Marine pilot of an F-18 Hornet died during a training flight near San Diego.
In June 2022, an Osprey crashed in Glamis, California, killing five Marines. A military investigation found the „unpreventable” mechanical failure catastrophic.
Osprey aircraft are capable of tilting their rotors, allowing them to take off vertically and switch between flying like a helicopter and flying like an airplane.
In April, US military officials ordered a 24-hour grounding of all air units following two fatal mid-air helicopter collisions within a 30-day period.
ABC News’ Edward Segeres, Victoria Arancio and Luis Martinez contributed to this report.
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