The Japanese military yesterday found a wreckage and five bodies during a deep-sea search for crew on board a helicopter that disappeared from radar earlier this month, an army spokesman said.
The aircraft with 10 people on board had been on a reconnaissance mission when it went missing on April 6, in what the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) described as an “aerial accident.”
Two pilots, two mechanics and six crew members were on board the UH-60JA helicopter, including a GSDF general from the 8th Division.
Photo: AFP
CONFIRMATION PENDING
The newly found wreckage appeared to be from the missing helicopter, but there were no details yet on the identities of the bodies retrieved, the army spokesman said.
“There are still five left undiscovered, so search-and-rescue operations are under way simultaneously,” the spokesman said.
Coast guard rescuers had already discovered several pieces of debris that appeared to be from the helicopter, including a door, a snapped blade and a yellow life raft that was still packed inside a bag.
There has been no indication of what caused the incident.
PREVIOUS INCIDENTS
The military, which is limited to ostensibly defensive activity by the country’s post-World War II constitution, has seen occasional aircraft crashes.
In January last year, a Japanese fighter jet crashed in waters off central Ishikawa Prefecture, killing two pilots on board.
In 2019, an F-35A stealth fighter jet crashed into the sea after taking off from northeastern Japan on a training mission. The crash sparked a scramble to recover the pilot and secrets on board.
The Japanese Ministry of Defense at the time said that the pilot, who died in the crash, appeared to have suffered spatial disorientation.
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