Day seven of salvage operation of Taipan crew off Lindeman Island

The Australian Defence Force has confirmed human remains have been found on day seven of a salvage operation for the helicopter crew lost off the Whitsundays.

A barge anchored at the site where a MRH 90 military helicopter crashed, lifts out the tail section. in the Whitsundays while carrying four AustraliansPicture:Michaela Harlow

The Australian Defence Force has confirmed human remains have been found near where a chopper crashed during exercises in the Whitsundays.

Part of the helicopter’s cockpit and fuselage have also been found.

The discovery was confirmed by ADF Chief of Joint Operations Lieutenant General Greg Bilton on Thursday.

Lt Gen Bilton said the cockpit had been located approximately 40m below the surface.

He said it is important to collect “as much debris as possible” amid ongoing investigations into what went wrong.

Over the past week ocean seas have served up rough weather and high tides with another ship joining the mission to find the lost crew and salvage the Taipan wreckage.

A fresh crew bolster what is now day seven of the operation to recover the military helicopter crew lost off the Whitsundays.

More than 800 personnel are involved in the search for four Australian Defence Force soldiers which were inside a MHR90 Taipan when it ditched into waters off Lindeman Island on Friday night.

Royal Australian Navy sailors from HMAS Huon have been conducting search operations in the vicinity of Lindeman Island. HMAS Huon is a Huon class mine-hunter coastal, with underwater sensor, sonar detection, clearance diving and remotely-operated vehicle capabilities.

Royal Australian Navy sailors from HMAS Huon conduct search operations in the vicinity of Lindeman Island. Picture contributed

Volunteer Marine Rescue Whitsunday’s Michael Shum received the emergency call from the Whitsunday Water Police and had been assisting.

They were told to stand down soon after with the military in charge of a 1km exclusion zone stemming from “the southern tip of Long Island, east to Perseverance Island, south to Cole Island, and west to the mainland at Round Head.”

A Department of Defence spokesman said another ship was arriving on Thursday (August 3) and with it a new crew, as well as a crane.

Wreckage from the Australian Armies MRH-90 Taipan that has been collected by boaties after the overnight crash near Hamilton Island looks took have taken the lives of the four on-board, the chopper was taking part in night flying as part of Talisman Sabre Picture 7News

He said there were probably more than 800 people involved in the search.

Mr Shum said he believed the new ship had “specialised underwater cleanup” technology.

VMR Whitsunday president Paul Martin said the weather was not ideal, with winds up and extremely high tides because of the full moon.

“It’s rough out there,” Mr Martin said.

“It’s been like that all week.

“It wouldn’t be pleasant to be out there in the search boats.”

Exercise Talisman Sabre has been suspended in the Whitsundays and it has also seemingly been wrapped up at nearby Midge Point at the northernmost tip of the Mackay region.

There had been multiple troops set up at Midge Point for a three-day training operation with amphibian equipment brought ashore last week.

Midge Point resident Jeff Paget said he had not seen any military activity around the area for the past few days.

A barge anchored at the site where a MRH 90 military helicopter crashed, lifts out the tail section. in the Whitsundays while carrying four Australians. Picture:Michaela Harlow

“They’re all gone,” Mr Paget said.

“I saw the truck picking up the toilets and another truck picking up their gear.”

Mr Shum said their VMR crew had headed out to sea at 1am on Saturday and did not return back until 7pm that night, with only one crew changeover that day.

“It was a very long day, and it sort of takes something out of you to see that,” he said, adding the VMR had led the search for the wreckage for 10 hours until the marine police took over.

During that time the VMR crew recovered part of the wreckage.

As soon as they arrived they managed to locate and recover part of the wreckage.

Mr Martin said when the military arrived they were asked to stop the search and since then, they have not been involved and have had no contact with the military.

“After we recovered some debris we were stood down, so that [was] it for us,” he said.

Mr Martin said the VMR did not have the technology necessary to help with searching underwater and that the military knew the area as well as they would.

“We share the same charts with the military,” he said.

“They visit the area quite frequently for training.”

Originally published as Day seven of salvage operation of Taipan crew off Lindeman Island