Baghdad-INA
Two Japanese Self-Defense Forces helicopters crashed into the sea late Saturday evening, and one crew member was found dead while seven others were still missing, Japanese authorities said Sunday.
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara told the press that the two planes were participating in “night training.”
He added, “Currently the cause of (the accident) is unknown. At the present time, we are giving priority to saving lives.”
He pointed out that marine rescue services detected possible debris belonging to the two helicopters.
The Ministry of Defense later confirmed that one of the crew members had been found dead, saying that seven others were still missing.
The two helicopters crashed off the Izu Islands in the Pacific Ocean, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK.
Contact with one of the two helicopters was lost at 22:38.
About 25 minutes later, authorities realized that contact with the second helicopter had also been lost, according to NHK.
The two helicopters are Japanese-made Mitsubishi SH-60K and belong to the Maritime Self-Defense Forces.
A year ago, a Japanese military helicopter, UH-60JA, crashed into the sea in the Okinawa region (southwestern Japan), killing its ten passengers.
2024-04-23 10:25:36