TRANSCRIPT
Human remains have been recovered in the search for four soldiers missing since a helicopter crash last week.
The MRH-90 Taipan helicopter crashed near Queensland's Hamilton Island on Friday evening as it took part in the Talisman Sabre joint military exercises.
Defence Minister Richard Marles revealed on Monday that any hope of finding the four alive was lost, after rescue efforts uncovered evidence the crash was "catastrophic".
"What this evidence says is that there was a catastrophic incident. With every passing hour, it is now clear that any hope of finding Captain (Danniel) Lyon, Lieutenant (Maxwell) Nugent, Warrant Officer (Class Two Joseph) Laycock and Corporal (Alexander) Naggs alive has been lost."
Australian Defence Force chief of joint operations Greg Bilton on Thursday revealed major parts of the helicopter, including the cockpit, had been discovered on Wednesday.
"Sadly, I can confirm unidentified human remains have also been observed in this location by the remote-operated underwater vehicle. Due to the nature of the debris field, positive identification of the remains is unlikely to occur until we recover more of the wreckage. Army has spoken with the families of the missing soldiers and is providing them with support. We will continue to support the families and other families who have reached out over the coming days."
The four deceased have been named as Captain Danniel Lyon, Corporal Alexander Naggs, Lieutenant Maxwell Nugent, and Warrant Officer Class Two Joseph Laycock.
Bilton said their deaths had taken a devastating toll on all ADF service members.
“I'm devastated and I'm distanced from the actual gentlemen that have been lost. But I can assure you that in the units, it is having a significant impact on them. We're just making sure that we provide the sort of psychological support and the support for their well-being that's necessary.”
Tricky weather conditions and strong currents have hampered search efforts.
Bilton says that was expected to continue in the coming days.
“The team are working through those [issues] and, as you can see, we are making progress. But it is methodical. I can tell you they have enough divers in that location to make sure that we can continue the mission, and sustain it for the coming days and weeks.”
Bilton says finding the aircraft’s black box will help them uncover how the accident had occurred.
“It is a difficult task but we'll do our absolute best to find it. And as you know, the black box is critical to helping us understand what's actually taken place."
