Online
\nTokyo
\nRescue operations were underway Thursday for five US marines missing after two American military aircraft crashed during a refuelling operation off the coast of Japan, the Japanese defence minister said.
\nOne crew member has already been rescued and is thought to be in a stable condition, Takeshi Iwaya told reporters.
\nA spokesman for the Japanese Self-Defense (SDF) said another crew member had been found but there were no immediate details of the marine\u00b4s condition.
\n\u201cUS military and the Japanese Self-Defense planes and vessels are searching for those still missing… I hope all the members will be rescued safely as soon as possible,\u201d Iwaya added.
\nThe marines were conducting \u201cregularly scheduled training\u201d when the crash occurred around 2am local time, the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force said in a statement.
\nThe F\/A-18 fighter jet with two crew onboard and a KC-130 refuelling tanker with five crew \u2014 crashed into the sea around 100 kilometres (55 nautical miles) off the cape of Muroto in south-western Japan, Iwaya said.
\nThe crew member rescued had been in the fighter jet, the minister confirmed. Japan\u00b4s SDF had deployed nine aircraft and three vessels for the search, he said.
\n\u201cWe are thankful for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force\u00b4s efforts as they immediately responded in the search and rescue operation,\u201d the Marines said.
\nA spokesman for the Japanese coastguard said six vessels and an aircraft had been dispatched separately to assist in the rescue efforts.
\nThere are few details about the circumstances of what the Marines described as a \u201cmishap\u201d and an investigation is underway.
\nDuring a normal KC-130 refuelling operation, the tanker aircraft trails a hose from the back of the plane with a so-called \u201cdrogue\u201d, shaped a bit like a windsock, at the end.
\nThe fighter jet then inserts a probe inside the drogue to receive fuel, which it can do at a rate of up to 3,000 pounds per minute, according to a paper prepared for the US Congress.
\nThe US military has about 50,000 troops stationed in Japan and accidents are not uncommon.
\nIn November, a US navy fighter jet crashed into the sea off Japan\u00b4s southern island of Okinawa and its two crew members were rescued alive.
\nAnd in November 2017, a C-2A \u201cGreyhound\u201d aircraft with 11 people on board went down in the Philippine Sea \u2014 eight were rescued and the search was called off for the remaining three after a two-day search.
\nThe US military has also experienced difficulties with its Osprey helicopters, with several emergency landings, a deadly crash and a piece of the chopper falling on the grounds of a Japanese school.
\nThose incidents have stoked tensions between close military allies Washington and Tokyo and led to protests against the deployment of Ospreys by residents living near US bases.
\nIwaya said the incident was \u201cregrettable but at this point we are doing our utmost to rescue those still missing.\u201d
\n\u201cLater, if we get to know the details of the accident, we will take appropriate measures,\u201d added Iwaya.
\nHe said that there was no information that any passing vessels were affected by the crash.
\nYoshihiko Fukuda, mayor of Iwakuni that hosts the US base where the two aircraft were based, told the city assembly he had asked the military to halt operations until the cause of the accident became clear.
\n\u201cI will urge the government and the US military to take thorough measures in finding out the cause of the accident and preventing a repeat,\u201d said Fukuda.
\nThe US ambassador to Japan, Bill Hagerty, said he was sending \u201cheartfelt thoughts and prayers to families and colleagues of those still missing\u201d and also praised the Japanese response.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Online Tokyo Rescue operations were underway Thursday for five US marines missing after two American military aircraft crashed during a refuelling operation off the coast of Japan, the Japanese defence minister said. One crew member has already been rescued and is thought to be in a stable condition, Takeshi Iwaya told reporters. A spokesman for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":39021,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-39007","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n