The bodies of five soldiers were found during the search for the remains of the American plane that crashed on Wednesday. The military plane crashed into the sea near the Japanese island of Yakushima. The US Air Force announced the discovery on Monday.
Divers recovered the bodies of two passengers from the wreckage of the plane. The identities of these victims have not yet been determined. American and Japanese rescuers are still working to recover the three other bodies found from the plane.
Japanese media reported that divers found the front part of the plane on Monday, which contained the five passengers. The Japanese military said it could not confirm this news without coordination with the US military.
There were eight soldiers on board. The US Air Force previously found and identified the body of a crew member. They are still searching for the last two missing passengers.
The plane crashed on Wednesday during a training mission. According to local media, the plane attempted to land at Yakushima Airport. At that time, the plane’s left engine was said to have caught fire.
On Sunday, the Japanese Coast Guard and fishing boats found other parts of the plane’s wreckage at sea. They handed the remains over to the US Air Force for examination.
Japan is currently grounding the planes
The plane that crashed was a V-22 Osprey, which can fly as both an airplane and a helicopter. Osprey is controversial because accidents happen to it very often. There have been eleven accidents with this type of aircraft since it entered service in 2007. More than fifty American soldiers were killed.
The Japanese Army, which has fourteen Osprey aircraft, is leaving all its aircraft on the ground for the time being. Japan also says it has asked the United States to fly Ospreys from Japanese air bases only if safety can be guaranteed. The US Air Force says it has not received a formal request and is continuing to fly the aircraft.
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Amerikaans militair vliegtuig in zee gestort bij Japan, bemanningslid omgekomen
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