Six people are feared dead after a US military aircraft crashed into the sea near an island off the southern coast of Japan on the morning of Wednesday, November 29.
The crash involved an MV-22 Osprey aircraft that can function as a helicopter and a turboprop craft and happened at about 2.47 p.m. local time (8:47 a.m. Ugandan time) on Wednesday, according to the coastguard.
According to regional coast guard spokesperson Kazuo Ogawa, the plane crashed into the ocean near Yakushima, an island about 45 miles south of the Kagoshima region on the southern main island of Kyushu.
Ogawa stated that the coastguard has sent aircraft and patrol vessels to the crash site. He stated that no further information, including the health and safety of those on board, can be confirmed at this time.
Mr. Ogawa said an emergency call was received from a fishing boat that called 118, Japan’s version of 999.
Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, Hirokazu Matsuno, said the aircraft
disappeared from the locator at 2.40 p.m. local time (8:40 a.m.).
However, it was confirmed that the plane belonged to the U.S. military, but they couldn’t say where it was based.
There were no immediate details available on the status of the aircraft or those on board.
There have been a number of fatal accidents involving the aircraft in recent years. The most recent one was on August 29, 2023, when 23 Marines on board crashed while transporting troops during a routine training exercise.
