Australian soldier dies and five injured in training exercise

An Australian soldier died and five others were injured during a training exercise in the Northern Territory, the Department of Defence confirmed on Tuesday. The incident occurred Monday at the Mount Bundey training area, approximately 130 km (80 miles) southeast of Darwin. No further details were released. The site is used for live‑fire training and is the same location where Jason Challis was killed in 2017 after being shot in the head during an exercise; the department had previously pleaded guilty to failing to meet workplace‑safety obligations. Monday’s fatality marks the second Australian service‑member death this year, following a paratrooper who died after a mid‑air collision during training in May. The Defence Department asked for privacy for the soldiers and their families affected by the incident. NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro told the ABC that five injured personnel were airlifted to hospital Monday evening, quoting: “The Northern Territory supported 2 injured evacuations by chopper to Royal Darwin Hospital at about 7:30 last night and different 3 by plane at about 9:30 last night,” she said. She also added: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family who are obviously devastated by this loss and of course, the support of our entire community is there for each of our service members who will be feeling this loss immensely.” NT Police Commissioner Martin Dole dispatched resources to Mount Bundey to assist the Defence investigation, telling the ABC: “We can't comment on the cause of the injury to the defence personnel but we are assisting and were helping to analyse on behalf of the coroner,” Dole said. A 2019 inquest into Challis’s death described the training exercise as “shambolic” and concluded his death was preventable. Challis, a 25‑year‑old Victorian with less than a year’s service, was struck in the head and knee while lowering a plywood partition during an urban‑assault drill. In May, Special Air Service Regiment soldier Lachlan Muddle died after falling to the ground following a mid‑air collision with another paratrooper at the Jervis Bay airfield in New South Wales.