A US Osprey military aircraft with eight crew members on board crashed on Wednesday off the coast of Japan, according to the coastguard. The incident occurred near Yakushima Island, with the coastguard receiving information at 2:47 pm (0547 GMT). As of now, there is limited information available about the crash.
Yakushima Island is situated south of Japan’s southernmost main island, Kyushu. The Osprey reportedly departed from the Iwakuni US base in the Yamaguchi region and was headed for the Kadena base in Okinawa, as reported by Japanese broadcaster NHK. Additionally, NHK cited defense ministry sources, stating that the aircraft involved was a CV-22 Osprey from the US Yokota air base in Tokyo.
The tilt-rotor Osprey has a troubled history marked by a series of fatal crashes over the years. The situation surrounding this particular incident remains unclear, and further details are awaited.
