Al Jazeera :
Two Japanese navy helicopters carrying eight crew members crashed into the Pacific Ocean during a night-time training exercise after possibly colliding with each other, killing one person, the defence minister said on Sunday.
Rescuers on Sunday searched for seven others who were still missing.
The two SH-60 patrol helicopters were conducting antisubmarine exercises on Saturday night near Torishima in the remote Izu island group, off the southern coast of central Japan.
Defence Minister Minoru Kihara said rescuers “spotted what are believed to be part of the aircraft in the sea, and we believe that the two helicopters crashed”.
“At this point the cause is unknown, but firstly we do our best to save lives,” Kihara told reporters. Hours later, Kihara told reporters that the crew member who was rescued “was confirmed dead”.
A Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) vessel conducts a search and rescue operation at the site where two JMSDF helicopters crashed into the sea during a training exercise near Torishima in the remote Izu island group, off the southern coast of central Japan, April 21, 2024, in this photo released by Kyodo.
He also said the ministry “discovered the flight recorders in places close to each other”, and so the “possibility is high that [the two helicopters] collided”.
“The flight recorders are being analysed,” Chief of Staff Ryo Sakai of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) told reporters, as officials are interviewing the crew of a third helicopter that was joining the drill but was not involved in the accident.
Communication with one chopper was lost at 10:38pm (13:38 GMT) off the island of Torishima, and one minute later an emergency signal was received from this aircraft, broadcaster NHK reported.
