The Japanese Army, known as the Japan Self-Defense Forces, has found five bodies in deep water during a search for a military helicopter that disappeared from radar while flying near the island of Miyokajima in the waters of the South China Sea. A significant portion of the helicopter has also been discovered.
The helicopter is believed to have crashed after disappearing from radar shortly after taking off from a base on Miyako Island on April 6, Kiodo agency has been told.
A Defense Ministry source confirmed to the same agency that the helicopter — with at least two pilots, two mechanics and six crew members on board — was conducting surveillance activities.
As soon as the disappearance was reported, four Japan Self-Defense Forces and Coast Guard patrol boats searched for the helicopter in the vicinity of the island of Miyokajima, in Okinawa prefecture, located in southwestern Japan and close to the island of Taiwan.
That same day, Japanese authorities confirmed to the aforementioned media that the Coast Guard found pieces apparently from the rotor of a helicopter about five kilometers off an island near Miyokajima. The Army also reported the discovery of a slick of possible oil floating on the surface of the sea.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
