Australian Soldier Dies, Five Injured in Training Exercise

An Australian soldier has died and five others have been injured during a training exercise in the Northern Territory. The incident occurred on Monday at the Mount Bundey training area, approximately 130 kilometers (80 miles) southeast of Darwin.

The Department of Defence confirmed the event on Tuesday but provided no further details. The injured soldiers were airlifted to Royal Darwin Hospital on Monday evening, with two evacuated by helicopter and three by plane, according to the national broadcaster ABC.

Northern Territory Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro expressed condolences, stating, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family who are obviously devastated by this loss and of course, the support of our community is there for all of our service personnel who will be feeling this loss immensely."

The Mount Bundey training area is used by the army for live fire exercises. This location was also the site of a 2017 incident where soldier Jason Challis was killed during an exercise, an event the Department of Defence later pleaded guilty to failing to comply with workplace safety regulations.

A 2019 inquest into Challis's death described the exercise as "shambolic" and stated his death was preventable. Challis, who had less than a year of service, was shot in the head and knee during an urban attack simulation.

This is the second death of an Australian soldier this year. In May, a paratrooper died after a mid-air collision during training at the Jervis Bay airfield in New South Wales.

The Northern Territory Police Commissioner Martin Dole has dispatched resources to assist the department's investigation into the recent incident. "We can't comment on the cause of the injury to the defence personnel but we are assisting and were helping to investigate on behalf of the coroner," Dole stated, as reported by ABC.

The Department of Defence has requested privacy for the soldiers and families affected by Monday's incident.