A military helicopter carrying 10 crew members has gone missing in Japan. Japan’s Coast Guard says it is searching for the missing military helicopter.
A Ground Self-Defense Force helicopter with 10 people on board went missing in waters off Okinawa Prefecture on Thursday, according to the Japan Coast Guard and other sources. The GSDF is said to have two pilots, two mechanics and a crew of six on board the missing helicopter. All of them are members of the Self Defense Force.
The Coast Guard said the multi-role helicopter UH60 disappeared from radar at about 4:40 p.m., about 18 kilometers northwest of an airport in Miyako Island. The Coast Guard sent four patrol vessels to nearby waters to search for the helicopter. Is. When they reached at around 6:10 pm, the weather condition was said to be normal.
According to a Defense Ministry source, the missing helicopter was stationed at the Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) Takayubaru camp in Kumamoto Prefecture and was involved in surveillance activities. The GSDF said two pilots, two mechanics and six crew were on board the missing helicopter. All of them are members of the Self-Defense Force.
“We will deal with (the incident), putting maximum priority on human life and rescue operations,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters in Tokyo, adding that the Defense Ministry is following up.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meets the press at his office in Tokyo on April 6, 2023, after a GSDF UH-60JA multipurpose helicopter with 10 personnel aboard went missing in waters off the southern prefecture of Okinawa earlier in the day.
Located about 400 km east of Taiwan, Miyako Island is home to a GSDF missile unit. It is adjacent to the East China Sea and close to the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands, which are claimed by Beijing.
