Four people are feared dead after a military helicopter crashed into the ocean off Hamilton Island.
The military helicopter, known as a Taipan, had been engaged in a two-helicopter mission when it crashed at about 10.30m on Friday.
There were four Australian crew aboard the MRH-90 aircraft at the time.
The second chopper immediately began a search and rescue operation.
Defence minister Richard Marles addressed media on Saturday morning, confirming the four air crew are yet to be found.
“We desperately hope for better news during the course of the day,” he said.
“The search and rescue continues.
“Our hopes and thoughts are very much with the air crew and their families, our hopes are with the search and rescue crews as they go about their work right now.”
The families of the four crew onboard have been notified.
“Defence exercises, which are so necessary for the readiness of our defence force, are serious. They carry risk.”
Talisman Sabre exercise director Brigadier Damian Hill invited the exercise participants to pause and let their families know what is happening.
“I’ll be available throughout the day (and) in the coming days as excise director to provide updates as they become known to us to ensure that everybody is aware of what we’re doing to look after our people,” he said.
Search efforts were delayed by bad weather, but the wreckage was found washed in the water south of the Hamilton Island Shute Harbour.
Recovery efforts resumed on Saturday morning.
The chopper was taking part in Exercise Talisman Sabre, which has been paused in the light of the accident.
Talisman Sabre, is the ADF’s biggest training exercise, involving more than 31,000 soldiers, marines, sailors and pilots from across 13 countries.
US Marines and Australian soldiers have been conducting exercises together in the Whitsundays as part of Talisman Sabre.