Three US Marines were killed when the Osprey aircraft they were on crashed today on an isolated tropical island in northern Australia during military exercises, a Marine official said.

“There were a total of 23 people on board. Three are dead and five others, who have been injured and are in a serious condition, have been taken to Royal Darwin Hospital,” the official said in a statement.

In a press conference scheduled ahead of the incident and given earlier today, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declined to provide information on the rescue operations being carried out at the scene of the incident, which he said took place in Melville Islandwhich is north of Darwin during Exercise Predator’s Run 2023.

“Our aim as a government and as a Department of Defense is to respond to the incident and ensure that every support and assistance is provided at this difficult time,” the Australian prime minister noted.

This incident does not concern personnel of the Australian forces, he clarified.

Earlier local media had reported that an Osprey, a hybrid horizontal and vertical take-off aircraft, of the US armed forces crashed today during military exercises in northern Australia.

The news network ABC NEWS had reported that several people received first aid after it crashed near the Tiwi Islands, north of Darwin, noting that there were no reports of casualties from the plane’s crash site in Australia.