According to the Defense Ministry, two Japanese naval helicopters carrying eight crew members are thought to have crashed in the Pacific

According to the Defense Ministry, two Japanese naval helicopters carrying eight crew members are thought to have crashed in the Pacific

Defense Minister Minoru Kihara informed reporters that the two SH-60K helicopters, each carrying four crew members and part of the Maritime Self Defense Force, lost communication late on Saturday night in the Pacific, close to Torishima island, some 600 kilometers (370 miles) south of Tokyo.

Rescuers were looking for the eight crew members who were missing after the crash of two Japanese naval helicopters during a nighttime training exercise in the Pacific Ocean south of Tokyo, according to Japan's defense minister.

Defense Minister Minoru Kihara informed reporters that the two SH-60K helicopters, each carrying four crew members and part of the Maritime Self Defense Force, lost communication late on Saturday night in the Pacific, close to Torishima island, some 600 kilometers (370 miles) south of Tokyo.

Although one of the eight crew members was pulled from the sea, it was unclear how they were doing. For the remaining seven, authorities were still looking.

According to Kihara, the reason of the accident was not immediately established, and authorities are giving the rescue effort first priority.

In order to locate and rescue the personnel who went missing, the MSDF sent out eight warships and five planes. According to Kihara, they found pieces that seemed to be from one of the SH-60Ks.

"We think the helicopters are down," he said.

The Sikorsky-designed Seahawk helicopters, which have two engines and many missions, were practicing anti-submarine warfare at night in the seas, according to Kihara. At 10:38 p.m. (1338 GMT), one lost touch after putting out an emergency signal. After around twenty-five minutes, the other aircraft lost touch. A facility in Tokushima prefecture housed the other, while one belonged to an aviation station near Nagasaki.

For anti-submarine operations, warships often carry SH-60K aircraft.

Defense authorities said that the training on Saturday was limited to the Japanese navy and was not a component of an international exercise. They reported seeing no foreign vessels or planes in the vicinity.

As part of its 2022 security plan, Japan has been bolstering deterrence and speeding its military building in the southwestern Pacific and East China Sea islands to confront China's increasingly aggressive military actions. Japan has carried out a number of joint drills with its allies, including the United States, and has also carried out major self-conducted naval exercises in recent years.

The reported disaster on Saturday occurs one year after a Ground Self-Defense Force UH-60 Blackhawk crashed off the island of Miyako in southwest Japan, killing all ten crew members. Two crew members perished in the accident of an Air Self-Defense F-15 fighter plane in January 2022 off the north-central coast of Japan.

There were no local weather warnings in effect at the time of the incident on Saturday, according to Japan's national television station NHK.