Four crew members are missing after an Australian military helicopter crashed into the ocean off the coast of Queensland, near Hamilton Island, during a major joint military drill with the US on late Friday, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
According to Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles, the MRH90 helicopter, also known as a Taipan, crashed at around 10:30 pm (local time) with four crew members on board while participating in a two-helicopter training operation.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation is the national broadcaster of Australia.
Marles said the second chopper immediately began a search and rescue operation, which remains underway as of now.
Exercise 'Talisman Sabre', which has been put on hold in the wake of the accident, was being participated in by helicopter. As part of 'Talisman Sabre', US Marines and Australian soldiers have been conducting exercises together in the Whitsundays, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
Exercise Talisman Sabre is an approximately 30,000-person operation involving 13 countries, including the US, France, and Australia.
The biennial exercise that concentrates on the preparation and execution of a high-end, warfighting scenario is in its tenth year this time, according to New Zealand-based RNZ.
Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and Tonga are among the Pacific Island nations taking part for the first time.
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