Darwin airport and hospital after three US Marines killed in Australia air crash

Three US Marines were killed on Sunday when an Osprey aircraft crashed on a remote tropical island during war games north of the Australian mainland, US military officials said. Rescue workers toiled in fading light to evacuate survivors from the isolated crash site, with US officials saying five crew members had been flown to Royal Darwin Hospital in a "serious condition". 

The US Marine Rotational Force in Darwin said there were "a total of 23 personnel on board" at the time of the crash and Australia's military said only Americans were involved.Rescue efforts were complicated by the location of the crash -- the remote and sparsely populated Melville Island about 60 kilometers north of the nearest city, Darwin.

The Osprey -- a mix between a helicopter and a plane -- was taking part in the Predators Run exercises, a series of warfighting drills involving thousands of soldiers from the US and Australia, as well as other militaries such as Indonesia and the Philippines. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Defense Minister Richard Marles extended their "deepest condolences" to the US military.