TOKYO — Two Japanese navy helicopters carrying eight crewmembers had been believed to have crashed within the Pacific Ocean south of Tokyo throughout a night-time coaching train, and rescuers had been looking for the lacking, Japan’s protection minister mentioned.
The 2 SH-60K choppers belonging to the Maritime Self Protection Pressure and carrying 4 crew every, misplaced contact late Saturday close to Torishima island within the Pacific about 600 kilometers (370 miles) south of Tokyo, Protection Minister Minoru Kihara advised reporters.
One of many eight crewmembers was recovered from the waters, however his or her situation was unknown. Officers had been nonetheless looking for the opposite seven.
The reason for the crash was not instantly recognized, Kihara mentioned, including that officers are prioritizing the rescue operation.
The MSDF deployed eight warships and 5 plane for the search and rescue of the lacking crew. They recovered fragments believed to be from one of many SH-60Ks, Kihara mentioned.
“We consider the helicopters have crashed,” he mentioned.
The helicopters, twin-engine, multi-mission plane designed by Sikorsky and often known as Seahawk, had been on night-time anti-submarine coaching within the waters, Kihara mentioned. One misplaced contact at 10:38 p.m. (1338 GMT) after sending an emergency sign. The opposite plane misplaced contact about 25 minutes later. One belonged to an air base in Nagasaki, and the opposite at a base in Tokushima prefecture.
The SH-60K plane is normally deployed on destroyers for anti-submarine missions.
Saturday’s coaching solely concerned the Japanese navy and was not a part of a multinational train, protection officers mentioned. They mentioned no overseas plane or warships had been noticed within the space.
Japan, underneath its 2022 safety technique, has been accelerating its army buildup and fortifying deterrence within the southwestern Japanese islands within the Pacific and East China Sea to counter threats from China’s more and more assertive army actions. Japan in recent times has extensively performed its personal naval workout routines in addition to joint drills with its ally the USA and different companions.
Saturday’s obvious crash comes a yr after a Floor Self-Protection Pressure UH-60 Blackhawk crashed off the southwestern Japanese island of Miyako, leaving all 10 crewmembers lifeless. In January 2022, a Air Self-Protection F-15 fighter jet crashed off the northcentral coast of Japan, killing two crew.
Japan’s NHK public tv mentioned no climate advisories had been issued within the space on the time of Saturday’s crash.
