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 30,000 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 the end of July but rescue operations have delayed its ending 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
The nuclear-powered ship is in the area taking part in Australia’s biennial Exercise Talisman Sabre
The aircraft carrier began search efforts after receiving reports of a possible sailor overboard, the US Navy said in a brief release issued Tuesday.
It did not disclose the missing sailor’s identity which is in line with the Navy’s service policy.
No additional details about specific location of the search have been released.
