On Wednesday, a U.S. military Osprey aircraft crashed into the ocean near the small southern Japanese island of Yakushima, resulting in the tragic death of at least one crew member, as confirmed by a U.S. defense official speaking to CBS News.
According to an official from Japan’s coast guard, efforts were underway throughout the night to locate the remaining individuals on board the Osprey.
The search operation involved two helicopters and six boats. The U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command released a statement noting that the Osprey was engaged in a routine training mission.
The incident was initially reported by a fishing boat through an emergency call, as stated by Coast Guard spokesperson Kazuo Ogawa.
Conflicting figures regarding the number of individuals on board were clarified by the coast guard and later confirmed by the U.S. defense official, indicating that eight airmen were aboard the crashed aircraft.
NHK, the Japanese national broadcaster, aired helicopter footage revealing a coast guard vessel at the crash site with a bright orange inflatable life raft on the water, though unoccupied. The search operations continued amidst the challenging circumstances of the accident.
NHK said an eyewitness reported seeing the aircraft’s left engine on fire before it went down about 600 miles southwest of Tokyo, off the east coast of Yakushima.
The Kagoshima regional government said later that the Osprey had been flying alongside another aircraft of the same type, which landed safely on Yakushima island.
