A U.S. military aircraft with eight people on board crashed into the sea in western Japan on Wednesday. Me♔dia reports indicate that one crew member has been confirmed dead, while the condition of at least two people rescued from the water is stil👍l uncertain.
Japan's coast guard found what appears to be wreckage from the tilt-rotor V-22 Osprey and identified one individual as "non-responsive." T💮his discovery was approꦇximately 3 km from Yakushima island.
According to a🏅 spokesperson for a local fisheries cooperative, fishing boats in the vicinity located three people in the surrounding waters. The representative added that🌜 the condition of these people is currently unknown.
On Wednesday afternoon, another Osprey safely landed at the island's airport around the ⛦time of the crash, as confirmed by a spokesperson for the local government. Simultaneously, a spokesperson for the U.S. forces in the region stated that th🔥ey were still in the process of collecting information.
The United States, having committed to defending Japan post-World War II, maintains approximately 54,000 U.S. troops in the country. Manyꦿ of these troops are stationed in the strategically significant southern♔ island chain, a response to the increasing military assertiveness of China in the South China Sea.
The crash occurred shortly before 3 p.m. (0600 GMT) with witnesses saying the aircraft's left engine appeared to be on fire as it descended, media r🉐eported. Local weather reports suggest no 💎adverse conditions at the time of the crash.
Japan, which also deploys Osprey aircraft, announced💮 on Wednesday that it currently has no intentions to ground the aircraft. However, the Japanese government has requested the U.S. military to conduct an investigation into the incident.
The Osprey, a collaborative effort be♋tween Boeing (BA.N) and Bell Helicopter, is capable of both helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft flight. It is utilized by the U.S. Marines, U.S.♕ Navy, and the Japan Self Defense Forces.
The Osprey aircraft🍷 has been associated with a series of recent incidents. In August, three U.S. Marines lost their lives when an MV-22B Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft🌌, carrying 23 individuals, crashed off the northern coast of Australia. Additionally, in August 2022, five Marines perished in a V-22 Osprey crash in California, attributed to mechanical failure. Earlier in the same year, in March, four U.S. personnel were killed in a V-22B Osprey crash in northern Norway during NATO training exercises.
