Navy Helicopter crashed, all five crew members rescued by defence forces
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ISLAMABAD - Five crew members of a U.S. Navy MH-60S helicopter that crashed in the Philippine Sea off of Okinawa’s main island Saturday were rescued with the help of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces, the U.S. military said late Saturday.
The helicopter went down about 170 km east of Okinawa’s main island during “routine operations” at around 5:15 p.m., the military said.
Three were recovered by an Air Self-Defense Force UH-60 search and rescue helicopter, and the two others were recovered by a chopper from the USS Blue Ridge fleet command ship.
All five crew members were in stable condition. Three were transported by a Japanese helicopter to Naval Hospital Okinawa for evaluation, while the two others were returned by U.S. Navy helicopter to the Blue Ridge.
The cause of the crash was not immediately clear.
Based in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, the Blue Ridge is the flagship of the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet. The amphibious command ship serves as an afloat command-and-control headquarters.
