A US Navy sailor has fallen overboard during military exercises in the Timor Sea just north of Australia, triggering a massive search.
Rescue crews have been operating around the clock in an attempt to locate the man who has been missing since Monday.
Australian assets are being contributed to the search and rescue operation led by the US, which has yet to yield any results.
The sailor was reported missing from the nuclear-powered USS George Washington aircraft carrier which is still sailing in the Timor Sea, northwest of Darwin.
It remains in the area while more than 40,000 military personnel from 19 countries take part in Exercise Talisman Sabre.
This biennial event is Australia’s largest military training exercise and has been underway since July 17.
It was due to wrap up by August 4 but rescue operations have hampered this as emergency teams continue searching for the lost sailor.
Australia’s Border Force and Defence Force have supplied a boat and an aircraft to assist the US Navy to find the soldier.
A US Navy sailor is feared dead after falling overboard the USS George Washington off the coast of Darwin on Monday
Rescue crews have been operating around the clock in an attempt to locate the man who has been missing since Monday (US Navy stock image)
A spokesperson for the Australian Department of Defence said the ADF was initially called in to support US search efforts ‘for a sailor … who was reported missing’.
‘Australian Defence Force-owned and Australian Border Force-contracted assets are supporting the search, including Royal Australian Air Force P8-A Poseidon aircraft and Royal Australian Navy Cape Class Patrol Boat ADV Cape Otway,’ the spokesperson told The Guardian.
Search efforts began after officials received reports of a possible sailor overboard, the US Navy said in a release issued Tuesday.
The sailor was discovered missing Monday afternoon, spokesperson for the USS George Washington Lt. Cmdr. Mark Langford told USNI News.
The sailor’s identity and rank are currently being withheld in accordance with US Navy policy.
No additional details about specific location of the search have been released.
Crews aboard the USS Robert Smalls and USS Shoup are being assisted by pilots from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron and Helicopter Sea Squadron to find him.
