CANBERRA, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- One soldier has died, and five others have been hospitalized, including two reportedly in critical condition, following an Australian Army training exercise incident.
The Department of Defense said in a statement on Tuesday that the incident occurred at the army's Mount Bundey Training Area, 115 km southeast of Darwin in the Northern Territory (NT), on Monday.
The statement did not disclose any details of the incident, but said one soldier died and five others were injured.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said two of the injured soldiers were airlifted to the hospital by helicopter around 7:30 p.m. local time, and the other three were taken to the hospital by plane two hours later.
Local media reported that two of the injured soldiers were in critical condition.
NT Police Commissioner Martin Dole said that police resources had been deployed to the training area to assist with the Department of Defense's investigation into the incident.
According to the NT government, the Mount Bundey Training Area covers around 10,000 hectares and is commonly used by the Australian Army and allies for live-fire training. ■