One crew member dead, five others missing after two US warplanes collide off Japan’s coast

Tokyo: One of two crew members recovered by rescue operations is dead and five others remain missing, the US military said after two US warplanes collided and crashed off Japan’s coast early on Thursday. The Marine Corps said the other recovered crew member was in fair condition. Both were in an F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet that collided with a KC-130 Hercules refuelling aircraft collided during training at about 2 am after taking off from their base in Iwakuni, near Hiroshima. The five others were in the KC-130. [caption id=“attachment_5688961” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AP[/caption] The Marines said in a statement that the two planes were involved in routine training, including aerial refuelling, but that it was still investigating what caused the crash. President Donald Trump tweeted that his thoughts and prayers are with the Marine Corps crew members involved in the collision. He thanked the US Forces in Japan for their “immediate response and rescue efforts” and said “Whatever you need, we are here for you.” The crash took place 320 kilometres off the coast, according to the US military. Japanese officials said it occurred closer to the coast, about 100 kilometres (60 miles), and that’s where the search and rescue mission found the two crew members. Japan’s Maritime Self-Defence Force, which dispatched aircraft and vessels to join in the search operation, said Japanese rescuers found one of the crew from the fighter jet in stable condition. The Marines said the crew member was taken to a hospital on the base in Iwakuni and was in fair condition, but did not provide any other details. Japan’s coast guard also joined the search. The crash is the latest in recent series of accidents involving the US military deployed to and near Japan. Last month, a US Navy F/A-18 Hornet from the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan crashed into the sea southwest of Japan’s southern island of Okinawa, though its two pilots were rescued safely. In mid-October, a MH-60 Seahawk also belonging to the Ronald Reagan crashed off the Philippine Sea shortly after take-off, causing non-fatal injuries to a dozen sailors. More than 50,000 US troops are based in Japan under a bilateral security pact.