Army finds door, unused lifeboat in search for lost Japanse army helicopter

Tokyo: Debris from a crashed Japanese army helicopter has been found after a UH60 troop transport, commonly known as the Black Hawk, with 10 people on board disappeared from radar and presumably crashed in the sea.

An unused lifeboat, a door and other fragments were found among the debris. Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada, in an emotional statement, told reporters that none of the crew members have been found yet as the search continued till Friday.

“We will do our utmost for the rescue of the 10 people who are still missing while continuing to gather information related to the extent of damage,” he said.

The aircraft disappeared from radar on Thursday near Miyakojima, part of its southwest Okinawa island chain, according to an army spokesperson and media reports.

The aircraft went missing around 4:30 pm (0730 GMT), with the Ground Self-Defense Forces scrambling to assess the situation and gather information,

An official familiar with the matter said that the aircraft went missing around 4:30 pm (0730 GMT), with the Ground Self-Defense Forces scrambling to assess the situation and gather information.

The UH60 troop transport disappeared from radar tracking after leaving a Ground Self Defense Force base on Miyakojima and did not respond to radio communications, according to public broadcaster NHK.

The government’s priority is to rescue those on board, Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in comments aired by NHK. Japanese Coast Guard ships are searching for the missing helicopter, which according to NHK was carrying 10 people. Some local media reported that a senior Ground Self-Defence Force commander was among them.

With inputs from agencies.

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