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One died and seven people were missing Sunday after an apparent accident overnight involving two Japanese military helicopters out to sea, officials said.
A spokesman for Japan’s Self-Defense Force (SDF) confirmed the late Saturday incident to AFP and said that one person was rescued but later confirmed dead.
Defense 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.
He said the helicopters were “doing drills to counter submarines at night.”
Hours later, Kihara told reporters that the crew member who was rescued “was confirmed dead,” according to the spokesman.
He also said the ministry retrieved flight recorders and was “analyzing (the cause of the incident) including possibility of a collision between the two.
