Two Japanese navy helicopters carrying eight crew members crashed in the Pacific Ocean south of Tokyo during nighttime training in a possible collision, leaving one dead while rescuers yesterday searched for seven others missing, the defense minister said.
The two SH-60K choppers from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force were carrying four crew each and lost contact late on Saturday near Torishima Island, about 600km south of Tokyo, Japanese Minister of Defense Minoru Kihara told reporters.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known, but officials believe the two helicopters “highly likely” collided before crashing into the water, Kihara said.
Photo: EPA-EFE / JAPAN MARITIME SELF-DEFENSE FORCE
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Chief of Staff Admiral Ryo Sakai said that training involving the SH-60s would be suspended until the cause of the crash is determined and preventive measures are adopted.
Rescuers recovered a flight data recorder, a blade from each helicopter and fragments believed to be from both choppers in the same area, signs that the two SH-60Ks were flying close to each other, Kihara said.
Search-and-rescue efforts for the missing crew were expanded yesterday with the deployment of 12 warships and seven aircraft. Japan Coast Guard patrol boats and planes also joined the operation.
Photo: Kyodo News via Reuters
US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel offered his country’s help with the search and rescue.
“We will stand together, side by side, with our friend and ally, Japan. My thoughts are with the crew members, and their families and friends during this challenging time,” he wrote on X.
They were on nighttime anti-submarine training, Kihara said.
One lost contact at 10:38pm and sent an automatic emergency signal a minute later.
Only one distress signal, called an emergency locator transmitter, was heard — another sign the helicopters were near the same place, because their signals use the same frequency and could not be differentiated, Kihara said.
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