Australian PM Albanese’s plane makes emergency landing: Crew member injured; visit follows $8.5bn minerals deal with US

The plane carrying Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was forced to make an emergency landing Tuesday night after departing Washington, DC, due to an onboard injury.The aircraft, a Royal Australian Air Force KC-30A, safely diverted and landed at St Louis Lambert International Airport in Missouri, a defence spokesperson confirmed to Fox News.

"Our highest priority is providing support to the injured member and request that their privacy be respected," the statement said.Officials told local FOX 2 that a crew member was struck in the head by luggage, believed to have fallen from an overhead bin. The individual reportedly suffered a concussion and was taken to the hospital.Albanese’s plane had left Joint Base Andrews at 5.15 pm, with the emergency landing occurring around 7.45 pm, FOX 2 reported.The prime minister had been in Washington for a high-profile visit, where he and US President Donald Trump signed a critical minerals deal. The $8.5 billion agreement aims to strengthen US-Australia cooperation in rare-earth resources amid China’s tighter export rules."In about a year from now we’ll have so much critical mineral and rare earth that you won’t know what to do with them," Trump said, adding, "They’ll be worth $2."Albanese described the agreement as a major step forward, saying it takes the US-Australia relationship "to the next level."