Two Japanese military helicopters apparently collided before crashing into the sea,officials said.
One person was confirmed dead and seven others missing on Sunday after the overnight accident.
One person who was rescued was later confirmed dead by a spokesman for Japan’s Self-Defense Force (SDF) .
Defence Minister Minoru Kihara said rescuers “spotted what are believed to be part of the aircraft in the sea, and we believe that the two helicopters crashed.”
“At this point the cause is unknown, but firstly we do our best to save lives,” Kihara told reporters.
Hours later, Kihara told reporters that the crew member who was rescued “was confirmed dead.”
He also said the ministry “discovered the flight recorders in places close to each other,” and so “possibility is high that (the two helicopters) collided.”
Officials said that the helicopters appear to have crashed during night-time training of countering submarines off the Izu Islands in the Pacific Ocean.
“The flight recorders are being analysed” while officials are interviewing crew of a third helicopter that was joining the drill but was not involved in the accident, chief of staff Ryo Sakai of the Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) told reporters.
