Australian soldier killed, five injured when vehicle rolls over in training
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SYDNEY – An Australian army soldier has died and five others have been injured during a training exercise in the Northern Territory of Australia, the Defence Department said on Oct 6.
The incident occurred at the Mount Bundey Training Area on Oct 5, the department said in a media statement on its website.
The Australian Army identified the soldier as Corporal Brendan Hannam, a father of two and an Afghanistan veteran.
Hannam was a passenger in a vehicle that rolled over on Oct 5 at the Mount Bundey Training Area near Darwin, the Northern Territory’s capital, it said.
Of the five who were injured, two were in a stable condition in hospital in Darwin and three were being monitored at the army barracks.
Lieutenant General Susan Coyle, chief of Australia’s army, said Hannam was a “much beloved” soldier who had served on two operational tours to Afghanistan in 2019 and trained Ukrainians with the British Armed Forces in the UK.
“His mates tell me that he would give the shirt off his back for anybody,” Coyle told a news conference.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a post on social media the incident was a “terrible reminder of what families take on when their loved one bravely puts on our nation’s uniform”.
It was the second death during training in recent months. An Australian Special Air Service Regiment soldier was killed during a parachute training exercise in May. REUTERS