Search teams were able to track a crashed sightseeing helicopter that went missing in southwestern Japan today with two Taiwanese passengers on board, but rescue operations must wait until weather conditions improve, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Fukuoka said.
Two Taiwanese passengers and a pilot were believed to be aboard a sightseeing helicopter that went missing at about noon near the summit of Mount Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyodo news agency reported.
The helicopter departed at 10:52am from the Aso Cuddly Dominion zoo, and contact was lost at about 11am, the news outlet cited the operator as saying.
Photo: Reuters
The helicopter was on its third sightseeing flight of the day when it went missing, and no abnormalities had been reported during the first two flights, the report said.
The zoo offers panoramic helicopter rides over the area, which is famed for its volcanic landscapes.
Search teams successfully tracked the helicopter’s location via mobile phone signals, office head Chen Ming-chun (陳銘俊) said.
However, rescue personnel have been unable to reach the site due to dense fog, he said, adding that operations are expected to resume as soon as weather conditions improve and volcanic gas levels subside.
Japanese media reported that a police helicopter at about 4:10pm local time found a crashed and severely damaged helicopter along the slope of a crater on the mountain.
From its serial number, police were able to identify the aircraft as the missing helicopter, but it remains difficult to approach due to the terrain, reports said.
The Kumamoto Prefectural Police dispatched a three-member mountain rescue team, 32 officers and one helicopter, while the fire department sent 20 firefighters and a disaster-response helicopter.
The Japan Air Self-Defense Forces, based at Ashiya Air Base in Fukuoka Prefecture, also dispatched a helicopter and a fixed-wing aircraft to assist with aerial searches.
Kumamoto Prefecture Governor Takashi Kimura was quoted by Chen as saying that all residents of Kumamoto were deeply concerned about the safety of the Taiwanese visitors and that authorities would continue to monitor the situation closely.
The Tourism Administration said it had not yet received any reports of an accident from travel agencies.
After checking with the office’s Fukuoka branch and major travel industry associations, the agency said no information indicated that the case involved a tour group.
Sightseeing helicopter tours over Mount Aso typically have limited capacity and are more commonly used by independent travelers, travel industry businesses said, adding that such flights are highly weather-dependent and unlikely to involve tour groups.
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