A US military helicopter and fighter jet on Sunday crashed in the South China Sea, with the incidents occurring about 30 minutes apart and coinciding with a visit to Asia by US President Donald Trump.
A Sea Hawk helicopter went down at about 2:45pm on Sunday “while conducting routine operations from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz,” the US Navy said in a post on social media.
A US Navy official said no details on the location of the carrier would be provided due to operational security.
Photo: AP
Then at about 3:15pm an F/A-18F Super Hornet also crashed, the US Navy said yesterday, adding that all five people involved in the accidents were safe and investigations were under way.
It remained unclear where the incidents occurred and no details had been released about the suspected causes of the incidents.
The carrier strike group was in the South China Sea on the final leg of its deployment before heading back to the US west coast, according to US Naval Institute News, which tracks carrier groups.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Beijing opposes the US military presence in the South China Sea, saying thta it destabilizes the region.
China claims nearly the entire area, where it has built numerous artificial islands. Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia also claim parts of the sea and have sparred with Beijing over where the boundaries fall.
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