The Coast Guard reported that one unconscious person was found at the scene of the accident, in the sea, and attempts were made to revive him. It was taken to a nearby port, the statement said.
The fate of the other crew members is still unclear.
Local media reported that the Coast Guard had spotted debris near the crash site.
“Today at 2 p.m. 47 minutes local (7:47 a.m. Lithuanian) time, we received information that the US military plane “Osprey” crashed near the island of Yakushima,” the spokeswoman told the AFP news agency.
“We have also been informed that there are eight crew members on the aircraft,” she added.
An emergency management official in Kagoshima Prefecture told AFP that police had received a report that the Osprey had been spotted with flames coming from its left engine and was perched on a beach near Yakushima Airport.
Yakushima Island is located south of Kyushu.
Kyushu is the southernmost main island of Japan.
The Coast Guard said it had mobilized patrol vessels and aircraft around Yakushima.
Japanese broadcaster NHK reported that the Osprey had flown from the US Iwakuni Air Base in the Yamaguchi region to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa.
NHK also cited Defense Ministry sources as saying the aircraft belonged to the US Yokota Air Base in Tokyo.
Japanese government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said Tokyo is aware that the US military’s Osprey has disappeared from radar screens near Yakushima.
“The government is trying to confirm the extent of the damage and will prioritize saving people’s lives,” Matsuno told reporters.
The US Embassy in Japan has not yet commented. The US military says it has about 54,000 troops in Japan. soldiers
The crash comes after another Osprey plane crashed in northern Australia in August, killing three of the 23 US Marines on board.
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2024-08-28 07:01:09
