U.S. military airplane with six aboard crashes into ocean near Japan

TOKYO — A U.S. military Osprey aircraft crashed into the sea near Yakushima island in southern Japan with six people onboard, the Japanese Coast Guard said Wednesday.

The Coast Guard originally reported that there were eight people on the aircraft but then changed its statement. It also stated that so far, one person was recovered from the crash scene and taken to a hospital, where he died.

The Coast Guard received an emergency call around 2:45 p.m. reporting the crash off the coast of Yakushima, a small, remote island in the Kagoshima prefecture, in the southernmost part of Japan.

The aircraft’s left engine appeared to be on fire as it descended into the sea, reported NHK, Japan’s main broadcaster, which also said that fishermen recovered at least three bodies from the sea.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said in a news conference that the aircraft disappeared from radar at 2:40 p.m. The 10th Regional Coast Guard of Kagoshima is investigating the incident.

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