Helicopter debris found off Australia's Queensland coast with four army members still missing

BRISBANE, Australia - Police in the Australian state of Queensland updated on Saturday that the wreckage of a missing army helicopter has been found after it impacted waters near Lindeman Island, off the state's coast.

"We have located a number of items of debris that would appear to be from the missing helicopter. They will form part of the investigation as we move forward into what has occurred up there," said Queensland Police Service Acting Assistant Commissioner Douglas McDonald.

As the investigation is still in its infancy, McDonald told reporters that it is "very early" to confirm exactly which parts are from the helicopter.

Joining McDonald at the media conference, Talisman Sabre Exercise Director Brigadier Damian Hill said that after the aircraft incident, the military exercise was paused on Saturday morning for the crew to contact their families.

"We have started some limited exercise activity again, mostly in Western Australia and Northern Territory. As a precaution, the ADF (Australian Defense Force) has established an operational pause for all our MRH-90 fleet," Hill said.

He also confirmed that the four missing crew members are from Australia's Sixth Aviation Regiment, located at Holsworthy Barracks in Sydney.

According to Hill, the Army MRH-90 Taipan helicopter was participating in a night-time training activity as part of Exercise Talisman Sabre 2023, a bilateral joint military exercise between Australia and the United States.

The chopper crashed into the waters at approximately 11:00 p.m. local time on Friday.

"Defense can confirm that there were four people on board at the time of the incident. And sadly, at this stage, those personnel have yet to be found," Hill added. - XINHUA