Six service members were on the Osprey aircraft, Japanese officials said.
November 29, 2023, 5:15 AM
A U.S. military Osprey aircraft carrying six service members crashed off the Japanese coast at about 3 p.m. Wednesday, local officials said.
At least one service member who had been on board was located, officials said, although there was no immediate confirmation on the person’s condition.
A wreck believed to belong to the U.S. military aircraft MV-22 Osprey that crashed into the sea off Yakushima Island, Kagoshima prefecture, western Japan November 29, 2023, in this handout photo taken by Japan Coast Guard airplane and provided by Japan Coast Guard.
Japan Coast Guard/via Reuters
The Japan Coast Guard deployed search-and-rescue vessels to the area off Kagoshima prefecture in southern Japan.
The wreckage of the aircraft was spotted at about 4 p.m., about an hour after the crash had been reported, in the water southeast of the airport on Yakushima Island, officials said.
A Japan Coast Guard vessel conducts search and rescue operation at the site where a U.S. military aircraft MV-22 Osprey crashed into the sea off Yakushima Island, Kagoshima prefecture, western Japan Nov. 29, 2023, in this photo taken by Kyodo.
Kyodo/via Reuters
The search continued into the night on Wednesday, with Coast Guard ships and helicopters active in the search area at about 7 p.m. local time.
The Osprey, a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, or VTOL, is manufactured by Bell Boeing.
An Osprey crash in Australia in August killed three U.S. service members, Marine officials said. In June 2022, an Osprey crash killed five Marines in Glamis, California. Four U.S. Marines were killed in March 2022 in an Osprey crash during training exercises in Norway.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News’ Anthony Trotter and Joe Simonetti contributed to this story.
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