Search and rescue operations were underway for three U.S. Marines who were missing after their Osprey aircraft crashed in the sea off the east coast of Australia on Saturday while trying to land. Twenty-three of 26 personnel aboard the aircraft have been rescued, the Marine Corps Base Camp Butler in Japan said in a statement. The MV-22 Osprey involved in the mishap had launched from the U.S. vessel Bonhomme Richard and was conducting regularly scheduled operations when the aircraft crashed into the water, the statement said. The craft was in Australia for a joint military training exercise held by the U.S. and Australia last month in Shoalwater Bay. In 2015, a U.S. Osprey crashed during a training exercise in Hawaii, killing two Marines.

Source: Los Angeles Times August 05, 2017 13:20 UTC