Canberra, March 8 : An incident involving two Australian Defence Force (ADF) vehicles on Saturday caused a number of ADF personnel to be injured, Australia's defence department said in a statement.

According to the statement, the two vehicles were providing community support to Lismore, a city located in the Northern Rivers region of the state of New South Wales, following ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

"On Saturday 8 March 2025, there was an incident involving two Australian Defence Force (ADF) vehicles that were providing community support to Lismore following ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred. A number of ADF personnel have been injured. The welfare of ADF members and their families is a priority and Defence's focus is on supporting those involved. Due to the developing nature of the incident, no further information will be available at this time, however Defence will provide further updates when possible," read the statement issued by the Australian Defence Ministry.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) quoted NSW Ambulance as saying that it received the emergency call just after 5 pm local time on Saturday.

ABC reported that 36 people had been injured and were in various conditions. Three of them had been seriously injured.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said in a joint statement that a number of ADF personnel had been injured, some seriously.

"Tragic news out of New South Wales this evening with confirmation a man has died in floodwaters near Dorrigo. Our thoughts are with his loved ones and the community at this heartbreaking time," Albanese posted on X.

The government said that medical assistance is on hand and stressed that this is an ongoing incident.

/IANS