At least one crew member died and seven were missing when two Japanese military helicopters crashed in the Pacific Ocean on Saturday night, the Japanese government announced this Sunday.
The devices were taking part in a “night anti-submarine warfare exercise”, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara told the press.
“At the moment, because [do acidente] is unknown and our immediate priority is to save lives”, added the minister, raising the possibility of a collision between the two helicopters before they fall into the sea.
Japanese military helicopter disappears from radar near Taiwan. There would be 10 people on board
The two SH-60K helicopters, each with a crew of four people, lost contact with the command center between 10:38 pm and 11:04 pm on Saturday (between 2:38 pm and 3:04 pm on Saturday in Lisbon).
According to Japanese public broadcaster NHK, the helicopters crashed off the coast of the Izu Islands, south of Tokyo, in the Pacific Ocean.
A year ago, a Japanese military helicopter crashed into the sea in the Okinawa region (southwest of Japan), killing all 10 occupants.
Source: https://observador.pt/2024/04/21/um-morto-e-sete-desaparecidos-em-acidente-de-dois-helicopteros-militares-japoneses/
