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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.
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 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. 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.
More to follow…
wd/nm (AP, AFP, dpa)
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