Eight members of the US Air Force were aboard the Osprey military plane when it plunged into the sea off southern Japan last week. The hybrid aircraft was heading towards a US base on the island of Okinawa.
The US military said Monday that it retrieved five bodies after one of its aircraft crashed off the southern coast of Japan last week.
“The dive teams were able to confirm five additional crew members from the original team of eight that were involved in the crash,” Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) said in a statement.
Japanese rescuers are assisting with the recovery operations.
Last week just hours after the crash, remains of one of the other crew members had also been found by Japanese responders, with that person having been confirmed dead.
Search for last two missing personnel is still ongoing
The search for the last two personnel who are missing is still ongoing, the US military said.
“The main priority is bringing the Airmen home and taking care of their family members. Support to, and the privacy of, the families and loved ones impacted by this incident remains AFSOC’s top priority,” the statement added.
The CV-22 Osprey military aircraft had departed from US Marine Corps Station Iwakumi in southern Japan and was heading further south to the Kadena Air Base on Okinawa.
The Osprey is a hybrid aircraft between a helicopter and plane.
US refuses to ground all Osprey flights despite Japanese request
The accident on November 29 prompted the Japanese military to stop flyng the US-made plane, with Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara also calling on the US to halt Osprey flights.
The US, meanwhile, has brushed off this request from Japan and said only the CV-22 variant of the Osprey will stop flying.
“The unit of the CV-22 that had the accident is not conducting flight operations. All V22 Ospreys in Japan operate only after undergoing thorough maintenance and safety checks,” US Department of Defense Spokesperson Sabrina Singh said last week.
The US military is still flying the MV-22, which serves as the Marine variant of the Osprey.
(Source: DW)
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