A US Osprey military aircraft crashed off the coast of Japan on Wednesday, as reported by the coastguard. The incident involved a vehicle carrying eight crew members, and the coastguard received this information at 2:47 pm (0547 GMT) on the same day.
A spokesperson for the coastguard shared these details with AFP, confirming the crash occurred near Yakushima Island. However, as of now, there is no additional information available regarding the incident.
Yakushima Island is located to the south of Japan's southernmost main island, Kyushu. According to Japanese broadcaster NHK, the crashed Osprey took off from the Iwakuni US base in the Yamaguchi region and was en route to the Kadena base in Okinawa. Additionally, NHK, citing defense ministry sources, identified the aircraft as a CV-22 Osprey affiliated with the US Yokota air base in Tokyo.
The CV-22 Osprey, a tilt-rotor aircraft, has faced challenges throughout its operational history, marked by several fatal crashes.
Notably, in August of the same year, a crash in northern Australia resulted in the loss of three US marines among the 23 individuals on board. The Osprey's safety record has raised concerns and garnered attention due to these incidents.