(Update 2) One Dead after 2 Japanese SDF Helicopters Crash

   Tokyo, April 21 (Jiji Press)--Two Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force helicopters crashed during an exercise in the Pacific south of Tokyo Saturday night, leaving one crew member dead and seven others missing.
   The two SH-60K helicopters may have crashed midair during the nighttime antisubmarine exercise in an area about 280 kilometers east of Torishima in the Izu Island chain, Defense Ministry officials said.
   The flight recorders and fragments of the two helicopters were recovered from the area. There were only MSDF vessels and aircraft in the area during the exercise, according to the ministry.
   The SDF is continuing its search for the seven missing crew members, using 12 vessels and seven aircraft while receiving help from the Japan Coast Guard, according to the Defense Ministry.
   "What caused the incident is still unknown, and we're now focusing on saving lives," Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said at a press conference in the early hours of Sunday.

(2024/04/21-12:00)

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