The U. S. Navy announced that it has ended the search for three American sailors who have been missing after a transporter aircraft crashed into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Japan two days ago.
The missing defense personnel are presumably dead as the search and rescue teams could not find their bodies.
American Navy's C2-A Greyhound plane carrying 11 crew and passengers crashed into the ocean southeast of Okinawa Wednesday.
It was en-route to the Navy aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, which was operating in the Philippine Sea.
Japanese and American rescue teams rushed to the sea, and rescued eight people.
All are in good condition, the US Navy said in a statement.
The U.S. Navy ceased combined search and rescue operations with Japan Friday morning after two days of extensive efforts, led by USS Ronald Reagan.
Seven ships from U.S. Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), three helicopter squadrons and maritime patrol aircraft covered nearly 1000 square nautical miles in the search for the missing sailors.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with our lost shipmates and their families," said Rear Adm. Marc Dalton, Commander, Task Force 70. "As difficult as this is, we are thankful for the rapid and effective response that led to the rescue of eight of our shipmates, and I appreciate the professionalism and dedication shown by all who participated in the search efforts."
The Navy has not yet published the names of the dead sailors pending completion of next of kin notifications.
The US Navy said the cause of the crash is not known, but the Japanese defense ministry says engine failure may have caused the crash.
An investigation into the incident is currently underway.
by RTT Staff Writer
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