Four missing Australian Defence Force members have been confirmed dead, with “significant wreckage” found of a helicopter which crashed during a military exercise in Queensland.
A recovery search continues for the bodies of Captain Danniel Lyon, Lieutenant Maxwell Nugent, Warrant Officer Class Two Joseph Laycock and Corporal Alexander Naggs.
The MRH-90 Taipan helicopter crashed near Hamilton Island on Friday night.
The chopper had been conducting joint military training as a part of Exercise Talisman Sabre.
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, who is also the defence minister, said the search and rescue operation was now a “recovery” mission and family members had been informed.
He said evidence showed there had been a “catastrophic incident”.
“We are all left wondering, naturally, what happened (and) foremost in our minds in this moment must be the families of these four men and their teammates.
“There will be a full investigation and we will come to understand exactly what happened and learn the lessons from it.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese earlier offered his thoughts to the families of the four missing soldiers. Mr Albanese said the tragedy was a reminder of the danger faced by the nation’s defence force personnel.
“Each and every day is one which carries some risks,” he told ABC radio on Monday.
“Our thoughts today remain very much focused on the families, the friends but also the colleagues as well, who will be going through a difficult time.”
Some debris from the stricken aircraft was found on Saturday, with the main body recovered.
Defence Personnel Minister Matt Keogh said the investigation into the crash was yet to determine the cause.
“Our key focus is on the ongoing search in supporting a family at this time,” he told Sky News.
Mr Keogh said the Taipan, which is coming out of service at the end of next year, may still be used after the crash.
“We’ll need to see what the causes are and whether additional mitigations need to be put in place before it can resume operation,” he said.
Specialist navy divers joined Queensland police and crews from HMAS Brisbane, HMAS Adelaide and USS Miguel Keith in their search for the missing Taipan.
An exclusion zone was put in place south of Hamilton Island, from the southern tip of Long Island east to Perseverance Island, south to Cole Island and west to the mainland at Round Head.
Forty-seven MRH-90 helicopters have been grounded until further notice.
It is the second time an Australian MRH-90 has been involved in an emergency this year, after a Taipan crashed into the sea off the NSW south coast in March.
Talisman Sabre has more than 30,000 defence force personnel participating from more than a dozen partner nations including the US.
The joint exercises, mainly being held in regional Queensland, resumed late on Saturday in the Northern Territory and Western Australia after an initial pause.
Source: AAP
