*TOKYO – Six US marines were missing after two American military aircraftcrashed on Thursday during a refuelling operation off the coast of Japan,said officials.*
The two planes — an F-18 fighter and a C-130 tanker — were involved in a”mishap about 200 miles off of the coast of Japan around 2:00 am” accordingto a statement from the US Marines in Japan.
A US defense official told AFP there had been a crash after the plane tookoff from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in southern Japan.
A spokesman for Japan´s Self-Defense Forces said that one of the airmen hadbeen rescued but the immediate fate of the remaining crew members wasunclear.
The crew member was being assessed by doctors, the Marine statement said,adding that “the search and rescue operations continue for the remainingsix.”
The C-130 was thought to be carrying five servicemen and the F-18 two, saidthe Japanese official, who added that Japan had scrambled four aircraft andthree ships in the search.
US media also reported five crew on the C-130 and two on the F-18.
“We are thankful for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force´s efforts asthey immediately responded in the search and rescue operation,” the Marinessaid.
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The planes took off from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in southern Japanand were “conducting regularly scheduled training when the mishapoccurred,” the statement said.
The circumstances of the mishap are currently under investigation, themilitary added.
The US military has about 50,000 troops stationed in Japan and accidentsare not uncommon.
In November, a US navy fighter jet crashed into the sea off Japan´ssouthern island of Okinawa and its two crew members were rescued alive.
The US military has also experienced difficulties with its Ospreyhelicopters, with several emergency landings, a deadly crash and a piece ofthe chopper falling on the grounds of a Japanese school.
Those incidents have stoked tensions between close military alliesWashington and Tokyo and led to protests against the deployment of Ospreysby residents living near US bases. – APP / AFP
