Eight members of the U.S. Marine Corps remain hospitalized after a fiery aircraft crash that left 3 of their colleagues dead. Twelve other survivors were discharged from the hospital Monday.
A Marine V-22 Osprey went down at 9:30 a.m. Sunday on Melville Island in Australia during multinational training drills.
Northern Territory Chief Minister Natasha Fyles said that within hours of the accident, all 20 survivors were flown to a hospital in the north coast city of Darwin, which was 50 miles away from the remote island where the crash occurred, according to the Associated Press.
The first five Marines to arrive at Royal Darwin Hospital were in critical condition and underwent emergency surgery, Fyles said. She did not comment on the conditions of those still in the hospital out of respect for the families.
The bodies of the three Marines killed in the accident remain at the crash site, Northern Territory Police Commissioner Michael Murphy said, according to AP.
3 US Marines dead, 20 wounded in aircraft crash in Australia
The aircraft went down during routine training exercises.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke out about those who lost their lives on Sunday.
"We tragically lost service members during a training exercise in Australia overnight. 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," Austin posted on X.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation.
The Osprey is a hybrid aircraft that can take off, hover and land like a helicopter but can also convert its propellers to operate like wings of an airplane, giving it more speed and range, according to Boeing.
This incident is the sixth fatal crash involving a Marine Osprey since 2012.
