U.S. military Osprey aircraft crashes off Japanese coast
A U.S. military Osprey aircraft crashed into the ocean near Yakushima Island in Japan with eight personnel onboard Wednesday, according to the local coast guard.
The event
A caller reported that an Osprey aircraft had crashed at around 2:47 p.m. local time on Nov. 29, a spokesperson for the regional coast guard in Kagoshima Prefecture told NBC News. The plane was later identified as belonging to the U.S. military and having eight people on board.
The situation
The coast guard said it had found wreckage-like debris and an overturned life raft. Searches are currently underway.
At 4:41 p.m., a rescue ship found one person at sea near the accident site.
“The person in question was unconscious and was not breathing. The person was transported to the Anbo Port while performing CPR,” the coast guard said in a statement.
Official updates on other personnel have not been provided.
Report on the crash
Japanese public broadcaster NHK cited a witness who said they saw fire coming from the aircraft as it went down. Local weather reports suggest no adverse conditions at the time of the crash.
Recent incidents involving Osprey aircraft
The Osprey aircraft has been involved in several recent incidents. In August of that year, three U.S. Marines died when a MV-22B Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft crashed off the coast of northern Australia, with 23 on board. Five marines perished in a V-22 Osprey crash in California in August 2022, which was ruled as a mechanical failure. In March the same year, four U.S. personnel were killed in a V-22B Osprey crash in northern Norway during NATO training exercises.
Involvement of the U.S. military
In searching for the crashed Osprey, U.S. military personnel were also involved in the rescue efforts. The Navy amphibious assault ship USS America was dispatched to assist in the search and rescue operation. The U.S. military’s ongoing presence in the Pacific region was in the spotlight as a result of the crash.
The aftermath
Local authorities have affirmed that searches for the remaining personnel are still being conducted. The cause of the crash is yet to be determined as investigations continue. The incident has raised concerns about the safety of Osprey aircraft and the circumstances surrounding its deployments.
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