The US Military has called off the search for five Marines missing after last week’s crash.
The identities of the Marines have not been released, but the Marine Corps said their next of kin have been notified.
„Every possible effort was made to recover our crew, and I hope the families of these selfless Americans will find comfort in the incredible efforts made by the US, Japanese, and Australian forces during the search,“ Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Eric Smith, commander of the III Marine Expeditionary Force, said in the statement.
US, Japanese and Australian forces conducted more than 800 hours of air and maritime search operations, covering more than 35,000 square miles of ocean, US Forces Japan said in a statement.
The five Marines were among seven crew aboard two aircraft — a KC-130 and F/A-18 — that collided Thursday at 1:42 a.m. local time about 200 miles (320 kilometers) off the coast of Japan. The planes had launched from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, the Marine Corps said in a statement.
The death toll from the accident now stands at six. Two Marines were rescued following the crash. One of them, Capt. Jahmar F. Resilard, 28, later died, the Marine Corps said.
The Marine Corps initially said the accident occurred during an aerial refueling that was part of routine training, but on Tuesday said it is „not confirmed“ that refueling was ongoing when the collision occurred.
