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Search and rescue crews have found debris in the search for four Australian defence helicopter crew who are feared dead after their aircraft went down off Hamilton Island in Queensland late last night.

The search and rescue operation has been underway for the best part of the last 18 hours.

Talisman Sabre Exercise Director Brigadier Damian Hill spoke to reporters on Saturday afternoon in Brisbane and confirmed four people were on-board the aircraft when it went into the ocean.

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"Defence can confirm there were four people on board at the time of the incident and sadly at this stage those personnel have yet to be found," Hill said.

"It is the defence's priority to look after those families, their members, their teammates and those that know them.

"Our thoughts, and mine in particular, are with the missing servicemen, their teammates and their families, and especially the search and rescue teams."

"We'll continue to work with local emergency services to continue the search."

Officials said two MRH-90 Taipan helicopters were flying in formation last night at about 11pm.

When the crew of one of those aircraft realised something had gone wrong with the other aircraft, they began the search operation immediately.

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Multiple agencies are involved in the search, including police.

The crash occurred during the Talisman Sabre military exercises, some of which are taking place off the coast of North Queensland.

The US is part of the military operation, as well as several other nations, which involves more than 30,000 personnel.

As soon as the search got underway, the next of kin and the family of the four personnel were informed.

Earlier today, Defence Minister Richard Marles and the Chief of Defence Angus Campbell spoke to reporters and offered their support to the families.

"Defence exercises, which are so necessary for the readiness of our defence force, are serious. They carry risk," Campbell said.

"And as we desperately hope for better news during the course of this day, we are reminded about the gravity of the act which comes with wearing our nation's uniform.

READ MORE: Frozen Siberian worm back to life after 46,000 years

"This is indeed a terrible moment."

Earlier on Saturday, a barge was filmed pulling wreckage from an area off the coast of Queensland.

Search and rescue crews had noticed debris in an area to the south of Hamilton Island.

Specialist divers are expected to come to the area around Hamilton Island as part of the search.

The MRH-90 aircraft are being phased out by the defence force, after one went down off the coast of New South Wales near Jervis Bay in March.

At the time, it had 10 personnel on board but all were able to make their way out.

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‘Today’s signing is a significant milestone for the people of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua.’

Scientists have revived a worm that was frozen 46,000 years ago — at a time when woolly mammoths, sabre-toothed tigers and giant elk still roamed the Earth.

The roundworm, of a previously unknown species, survived 40 metres below the surface in the Siberian permafrost in a dormant state known as cryptobiosis, according to Professor Emeritus Teymuras Kurzchalia, professor emeritus at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden and one of the scientists involved in the research.

Organisms in a cryptobiotic state can endure the complete absence of water or oxygen and withstand high temperatures, as well as freezing or extremely salty conditions.

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They remain in a state "between death and life," in which their metabolic rates decrease to an undetectable level, Kurzchalia explained.

"One can halt life and then start it from the beginning. This a major finding," he said, adding that other organisms previously revived from this state had survived for decades rather than millennia.

Five years ago, scientists from the Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science in Russia found two roundworm species in the Siberian permafrost.

One of the researchers, Anastasia Shatilovich, revived two of the worms at the institute by simply rehydrating them with water, before taking around 100 worms to labs in Germany for further analysis, transporting them in her pocket.

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After thawing the worms, the scientists used radiocarbon analysis of the plant material in the sample to establish that the deposits had not been thawed since between 45,839 and 47,769 years ago.

But they still didn't know whether the worm was a known species. Eventually, genetic analysis conducted by scientists in Dresden and Cologne showed that these worms belonged to a novel species, which researchers named Panagrolaimus kolymaenis.

Researchers also found that the P. kolymaenis shared with C. elegans — another organism often used in scientific studies — "a molecular toolkit" that could allow it to survive cryptobiosis.

Both organisms produce a sugar called trehalose, possibly enabling them to endure freezing and dehydration.

"To see that the same biochemical pathway is used in a species which is 200, 300 million years away, that's really striking," said Philipp Schiffer, research group leader of the Institute of Zoology at the University of Cologne and one of the scientists involved in the study.

"It means that some processes in evolution are deeply conserved."

Schiffer added that there are other actionable insights that can be gleaned by studying these organisms.

"By looking at and analyzing these animals, we can maybe inform conservation biology, or maybe even develop efforts to protect other species, or at least learn what to do to protect them in these extreme conditions that we have now," he told CNN.

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Police are investigating a shooting incident in the Brisbane suburb of Bowen Hills on Saturday which resulted in a man being taken to hospital in a serious condition.

A Queensland Ambulance spokesperson said paramedics took a man to Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital before 3pm.

The spokesperson said the man had gunshot wounds to his abdomen after an incident at a home.

READ MORE: Four military personnel missing after Australian helicopter crash

"Paramedics transported a male patient in a serious condition to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital with gunshot wounds to his abdomen following an alleged wounding at a private residence at 2.44pm," they said.

A Queensland Police spokesperson said initial investigations indicate at least one person has come to the front door of a property on Tufton Street just before 3pm, before firing a gun at a man.

"The offender or offenders have then fled in a vehicle," the spokesperson said.

"Police are working to find the person or people involved.

"The victim was taken to hospital with a gunshot wound to the hip. Anyone with information is urged to come forward to assist with police investigations."

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Tamzyn Adding joins other high-profile business people leaving New Zealand.

Mutinous soldiers who staged a coup in Niger declared their leader the new head of state on Friday, hours after the general asked for national and international support despite rising concerns that the political crisis could hinder the nation’s fight against jihadists and boost Russia’s influence in West Africa.

Spokesman Colonel Major Amadou Abdramane said on state television that the constitution was suspended and General Abdourahmane Tchiani was in charge.

Various factions of Niger’s military have reportedly wrangled for control since members of the presidential guard detained President Mohamed Bazoum, who was elected two years ago in Niger’s first peaceful, democratic transfer of power since independence from France in 1960.

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Niger is seen as the last reliable partner for the West in efforts to battle jihadists linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group in Africa’s Sahel region, where Russia and Western countries have vied for influence in the fight against extremism.

France has 1500 soldiers in the country who conduct joint operations with the Nigeriens, and the United States and other European countries have helped train the nation's troops.

The coup sparked international condemnation and the West African regional group ECOWAS, which includes Niger and has taken the lead in trying to restore democratic rule in the country, scheduled an emergency summit in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, on Sunday.

The UN Security Council strongly condemned efforts “to unconstitutionally change the legitimate government".

Its statement, agreed to by all 15 members including the US and Russia, called for “the immediate and unconditional release” of Bazoum and expressed concern over the negative effect of coups in the region, the "increase in terrorist activities and the dire socio-economic situation".

Extremists in Niger have carried out attacks on civilians and military personnel, but the overall security situation is not as dire as in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso — both of which have ousted the French military. Mali has turned to the Russian private military group Wagner, and it’s believed that the mercenaries will soon be in Burkina Faso.

Now there are concerns that Niger could follow suit. Before the coup, Wagner, which has sent mercenaries around the world in support of Russia’s interests, already had its sights set on Niger, in part because it’s a large producer of uranium.

“We can no longer continue with the same approaches proposed so far, at the risk of witnessing the gradual and inevitable demise of our country,” Tchiani, who also goes by Omar Tchiani, said in his address. "That is why we decided to intervene and take responsibility.”

“I ask the technical and financial partners who are friends of Niger to understand the specific situation of our country in order to provide it with all the support necessary to enable it to meet the challenges,” he said.

If the United States designates the takeover as a coup, Niger stands to lose millions of dollars of military aid and assistance.

"That assistance is in jeopardy as a result of these actions," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Saturday in Brisbane, where he was attending the Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN), in response to a question about aid to Niger.

The mutinous soldiers, who call themselves the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Country, accused some prominent dignitaries of collaborating with foreign embassies to “extract” the deposed leaders. They said it could lead to violence and warned against foreign military intervention.

Bazoum has not resigned and he defiantly tweeted from detention on Thursday that democracy would prevail.

It's not clear who enjoys majority support, but the streets of the capital of Niamey were calm on Friday, with a slight celebratory air. Some cars honked in solidarity at security forces as they drove by — but it was not clear if that meant they backed the coup.

Elsewhere, people rested after traditional midday prayers and others sold goods at their shops and hoped for calm.

“We should pray to God to help people come together so that peace comes back to the country. We don’t want a lot of protests in the country, because it is not good … I hope this administration does a good job,” said Gerard Sassou, a Niamey shopkeeper.

A day earlier, several hundred people gathered in the city chanting support for Wagner while waving Russian flags.

“We’re fed up,” said Omar Issaka, one of the protestors.

“We are tired of being targeted by the men in the bush. We’re going to collaborate with Russia now.”

That's exactly what many in the West likely fear. Tchiani’s criticism of Bazoum’s approach and of how security partnerships have worked in the past will certainly make the US, France, and the EU uneasy, said Andrew Lebovich, a research fellow with the Clingendael Institute.

“So that could mark potentially some shifts moving forward in Niger security partnerships,” he said.

Even as Tchiani sought to project control, the situation appeared to be in flux. A delegation from neighbouring Nigeria, which holds the ECOWAS presidency and was hoping to mediate, left shortly after arriving, and the president of Benin, nominated as a mediator by ECOWAS, has not arrived.

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Earlier, an analyst who had spoken with participants in the talks said the presidential guard was negotiating with the army about who should be in charge. The analyst spoke on condition they not be named because of the sensitive situation.

A western military official in Niger who was not authorised to speak to the media also said the military factions were believed to be negotiating, but that the situation remained tense and violence could erupt.

Speaking in Papua New Guinea, French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the coup as “completely illegitimate and profoundly dangerous for the Nigeriens, Niger and the whole region".

The coup threatens to starkly reshape the international community’s engagement with the Sahel region.

On Thursday, US Vice President Kamala Harris said the country's “substantial cooperation with the Government of Niger is contingent on Niger’s continued commitment to democratic standards".

The United States in early 2021 said it had provided Niger with more than $750 million in military assistance and training programs since 2012, one of the largest such support programs in sub-Saharan Africa.

The European Union earlier this year launched a $44.8 million military training mission in Niger.

The United States has more than 1000 service personnel in the country.

Some military leaders who appear to be involved in the coup have worked closely with the United States for years. General Moussa Salaou Barmou, the head of Niger’s special forces, has an especially strong relationship with the US, the Western military official said.

While Russia has also condemned the coup, it remains unclear what the junta’s position would be on Wagner.

The acting head of the United Nations in Niger said Friday that humanitarian aid deliveries were continuing, even though the military suspended flights carrying aid.

Nicole Kouassi, the acting UN resident and humanitarian coordinator, told reporters via video from Niamey that 4.3 million people needed humanitarian aid before this week’s military action and 3.3 million faced “acute food insecurity", the majority of them women and children.

Jean-Noel Gentile, the UN World Food Program director in Niger, said “the humanitarian response continues on the ground".

He said the UN is providing cash assistance and food to people in accessible areas and that the agency is continuously assessing the situation to ensure security and access.

This is Niger’s fifth coup and marks the fall of one of the last democratically elected governments in the Sahel.

Its army has always been very powerful and civilian-military relations fraught, though tensions had increased recently, especially with the growing jihadist insurgency, said Karim Manuel, an analyst for the Middle East and Africa with the Economist Intelligence Unit.

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The couple say the service they received caused emotional harm and ‘loss of reputation’.

A spokesperson said police are at the scene and the death is currently unexplained.

The polls have opened in the Rockingham by-election, which will decide who will fill the seat former Western Australian premier Mark McGowan held for 27 years.

The Labor government holds the seat by a margin of 37.7 per cent but Premier Roger Cook has predicted it will be a tight race.

Both McGowan and Cook hit the campaign trail today to back candidate Magenta Marshall, who is tipped to retain the safest Labor seat in the state.

READ MORE: Four military personnel missing after Australian helicopter crash

The by-election will also be a test of Cook's performance as leader, after McGowan announced he would step down from the state's top job in May, citing "exhaustion" leading the state through several challenges including the pandemic.

McGowan was a popular leader in the state and his approval rating soared at the last election.

However, Labor voters could be swayed by independent candidate Hayley Edwards, who failed to win ALP preselection but is well-known to residents as the Rockingham deputy mayor.

The Liberal candidate for the by-election is 21-year-old small business owner Peter Hudson, who has the mammoth task of turning the seat blue.

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Other candidates include independent Clive Galletly, independent Peter D Dunne, Greens candidate Madeleine De Jong, Legalise Cannabis Western Australia Party candidate Rae Cottam and Australian Christians candidate Mike Crichton.

Residents can cast their votes at 10 locations across the electorate until 6pm (AWST).

Thousands of people in the electorate have already had their say at early voting centres and via post.

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