Japan SDF Chopper with 10 Aboard goes Missing near Okinawa
A Japan Ground Self-Defense Force helicopter with 10 people aboard went missing in waters off the southern prefecture of Okinawa on Thursday, according to the Japan Coast Guard and other sources.
The UH-60 multipurpose chopper disappeared from radar around 4:40 p.m. about 18 kilometers northwest of an airport in Okinawa Prefecture’s Miyako Island, the coast guard said.
The coast guard dispatched four patrol ships to nearby waters to search for the helicopter. Weather conditions were described as moderate when they arrived around 6:10 p.m.
The helicopter is based at the GSDF Takayubaru camp in the southwestern Japan prefecture of Kumamoto, and was engaging in surveillance activities, according to a Defense Ministry source.
Two pilots, two mechanics and six crew were on board and all were Self-Defense Force members, the GSDF said.
