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One Dead And Seven Missing After Two Japanese Navy Helicopters Crash Into Pacific Ocean

One dead and seven missing after two Japanese Navy Helicopters crash into Pacific Ocean, as rescue team have been expanded.

Two Japanese navy helicopters crashed into the Pacific Ocean during a nighttime training flight following a possible mid-air collision, killing at least one of the eight crew members.

One body was recovered from the water and pronounced dead, while a search for the remaining seven is underway.
The two SH-60K patrol aircraft, each carrying four crew members, lost contact late Saturday near Torishima island, approximately 370 miles (600 kilometers) south of Tokyo.

The cause of the crash is under investigation, but officials believe it is “highly likely” that the two helicopters collided before crashing into the water.

Defence Minister Minoru Kihara stated that the flight recorders and debris from both aircraft were discovered in the same location, indicating that they were flying close together.

He also stated that only one distress call was heard, indicating that the two helicopters were close together because their signals used the same frequency and were indistinguishable.

Officials will examine the flight data to try to determine what caused the crash. Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Ryo Sakai said training will be halted until the cause of the accident is determined.

The military deployed 12 warships and seven aircraft on Sunday to expand the search and rescue efforts for the missing crew.

Coastguard patrol boats and aircraft also participated in the operation.

One helicopter was based in Nagasaki, while the other was in Tokushima. The SH-60K aircraft is typically deployed on destroyers for anti-submarine warfare, but it can also be used for search and rescue and other tasks.

Japan has approximately 70 of the aircraft. Japan has been bolstering its armed forces in the southwestern Japanese islands in the Pacific and East China Sea as part of its 2022 security strategy in response to China’s threat.

The navy’s chief of staff stated that Saturday’s training was part of routine anti-submarine warfare drills that included warships and submarines.

The crash occurs one year after a defense force Blackhawk helicopter crashed off the southwestern Japanese island of Miyako due to engine failure, killing all ten crew members.