General Yasunori Morishita, head of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF), said at a press conference that the UH60 troop transport, commonly known as the Black Hawk, disappeared from radar screens after leaving the base in Miyakojima, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.
Debris near the site of a military helicopter crash in waters near Miyakojima, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Photo: Japan Coast Guard
The aircraft was patrolling the waters around Miyakojima on an aerial reconnaissance mission, Morishita said. Morishita did not say whether the helicopter was involved in monitoring any Chinese military activity.
Chinese naval vessels traveling to the Pacific from the East China Sea often pass near Miyakojima, where GSDF mobile anti-ship missile launchers have been deployed since 2019.
Kyodo news agency said Japanese coast guard vessels had found traces of oil and debris possibly related to the missing helicopter, but officials declined to confirm the report.
A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, similar to the one that went missing off the coast of an island in Japan. Photo: WK
Japan's NHK television said the helicopter disappeared from radar screens about an hour after it left its base on Miyako island and about half an hour before its scheduled return.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the government's priority now is to rescue those on board the crashed plane.
The Japan Coast Guard and military ships and aircraft said they were searching for the four helicopter crew members and six passengers missing. Yuichi Sakamoto, a senior GSDF commander, was among those missing.
Bui Huy (according to Reuters, Kyodo, NHK)
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