<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Three US marines who were killed in a fiery helicopter crash during a military drill in Australia have been identified.</span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The MV-22B Osprey came down on a remote island north of Darwin on Sunday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Captain Eleanor LeBeau, 29, Corporal Spencer Collart, 21, and Major Tobin Lewis, 37, were killed and the 20 other people on board - all US marines - were injured.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The cause of the crash remains under investigation.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In a statement on Tuesday, the commanding officer of the Marine Rotational Force Darwin said the force was "deeply saddened" by the loss of such "respected and beloved" marines.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Capt LeBeau - originally from Illinois - was piloting the Osprey and had served in the marines for five years, while Cpl Collart - from Virginia - enlisted in 2020.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Maj Lewis - from Colorado - was a highly decorated leader with over 15-years' experience in the marines, and was the executive officer on board the aircraft.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Our thoughts and prayers remain with the families and with all involved," Colonel Brendan Sullivan said, adding that his team remained focused on ongoing recovery and investigative efforts.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The aircraft had been participating in Predators Run, a training exercise involving 2,500 troops from the US, Australia, the Philippines, East Timor and Indonesia, when it crashed on Melville Island.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Soon after, air traffic control were heard discussing a "significant fire" at the site, according to audio obtained by local media.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">All 20 marines who survived the crash were taken to hospital. One remains in a critical condition, and another two are in hospital but stable.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The incident is the second fatal helicopter crash during joint exercises in northern Australia in less than a month.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On 29 July four Australian soldiers died after their 45 MRH-90 Taipan crashed off the coast of Queensland while participating in Exercise Talisman Sabre, the largest bilateral military training exercise between Australia and the US.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The latest incident is one of several recent crashes involving an Osprey - a helicopter and turbo-prop plane hybrid.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Four marines were killed in a crash in Norway last year, and three others died in 2017 when their aircraft clipped the back of a transport ship off northern Australia. BBC</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>