Japanese rescuers are still searching for a Ground Self-Defense Force helicopter that went missing in waters off Okinawa 3 days ago.
The GSDF has been informed that what may be a person was seen floating near the place where the chopper disappeared.
The site is beneath a cliff on Irabu Island. Japan's Coast Guard has been scouring the area. But it has not found anything yet. The helicopter lost contact with air traffic controllers while flying over waters off Miyako Island.
SDF and Coast Guard personnel have been looking for the missing helicopter and crew. A minesweeper has been dispatched to search the seabed using sonar. The helicopter was carrying 10 people, including a division chief and other senior officers.
This footage was taken by a tourist on Miyako four minutes before the helicopter disappeared. It shows a flying object following the same route as the missing aircraft.
NHK has obtained communication records between the craft and air traffic control. They suggest something went wrong in a matter of minutes.
The helicopter left Miyako at 3:46 p.m. The pilot radioed to the controller that the craft had taken off and would fly along the coast. The helicopter's navigation chart shows it followed this route.
At 3:54, the controller told the pilot to confirm, once they had reached the nearby Shimoji Island, that they'd switched radio frequency. The crew agreed.
Two minutes later, the helicopter dropped off the radar. There were no reports about abnormalities.
The GSDF suspects something went wrong within the last two minutes. The rescue teams will continue the search effort through the night.
The GSDF has been informed that what may be a person was seen floating near the place where the chopper disappeared.
The site is beneath a cliff on Irabu Island. Japan's Coast Guard has been scouring the area. But it has not found anything yet. The helicopter lost contact with air traffic controllers while flying over waters off Miyako Island.
SDF and Coast Guard personnel have been looking for the missing helicopter and crew. A minesweeper has been dispatched to search the seabed using sonar. The helicopter was carrying 10 people, including a division chief and other senior officers.
This footage was taken by a tourist on Miyako four minutes before the helicopter disappeared. It shows a flying object following the same route as the missing aircraft.
NHK has obtained communication records between the craft and air traffic control. They suggest something went wrong in a matter of minutes.
The helicopter left Miyako at 3:46 p.m. The pilot radioed to the controller that the craft had taken off and would fly along the coast. The helicopter's navigation chart shows it followed this route.
At 3:54, the controller told the pilot to confirm, once they had reached the nearby Shimoji Island, that they'd switched radio frequency. The crew agreed.
Two minutes later, the helicopter dropped off the radar. There were no reports about abnormalities.
The GSDF suspects something went wrong within the last two minutes. The rescue teams will continue the search effort through the night.
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Summary
Japanese rescuers are searching for a missing Ground Self-Defense Force helicopter off Okinawa after losing contact 3 days ago. A possible person was spotted near the disappearance site on Irabu Island. The chopper, carrying 10 people including senior officers, went missing while flying over
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ID: 13d30507-8bb0-41a1-a58f-274d80d04134
Category ID: nhk
URL: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230409_04/
Date: April 9, 2023
Created: 2023/04/10 07:19
Updated: 2025/12/09 05:12
Last Read: 2023/04/10 07:43