TOKYO (AP) – The Latest on the midair collision of two U.S. warplanes off Japan (all times local):
2:50 a.m. Friday
President Donald Trump is thanking U.S. forces in Japan for their work trying to rescue crew members after two U.S. warplanes collided and crashed off the coast of Japan early Thursday.
Two of seven crew members have been recovered so far. One was dead and the other is in fair condition. Five others remain missing.
The Marine Corps said the planes collided during a training exercise after taking off from a base near Hiroshima. They were involved in routine training, including aerial refueling.
Trump tweeted on Thursday that his thoughts and prayers are with the Marine Corps crew members involved in the collision. He thanked the U.S. Forces in Japan for their “immediate response and rescue efforts” and said “Whatever you need, we are here for you.”
—
11:40 p.m.
The U.S. military says one of two crew members recovered after two Marine Corps warplanes collided off the Japanese coast is dead and five others remain missing.
The Marine Corps says the other recovered crew member is in fair condition.
It says an F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet and a KC-130 Hercules refueling aircraft (similar to what the 128th Air Refueling Wing uses out of General Mitchell Air National Guard Base in Milwaukee) collided and crashed during training at about 2 a.m. Thursday after the planes took off from their base in Iwakuni, near Hiroshima. The seven crew members included two in the F/A-18 and five in the KC-130.
It says the two planes were involved in routine training, including aerial refueling, but that it is still investigating what was happening when the accident occurred.
—
2:05 p.m.
Japan’s Defense Ministry says a second crew member has been found in the waters off the Japanese coast where two U.S. Marine Corps warplanes collided and crashed. Five others are still missing.
The Maritime Self-Defense Force said Thursday that the second person was found about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Muroto Cape on Shikoku island in southwestern Japan. The crew’s condition is unknown.
The Marines say an F/A-18 fighter jet and a KC-130 refueling aircraft collided and crashed during training around 2 a.m. after the planes took off from their base in Iwakuni, near Hiroshima. The seven crew members included two in the F/A-18 and five in the KC-130. One crew from the fighter jet was rescued in stable condition earlier Thursday.
—
9 a.m.
Japanese and U.S. officials say two American warplanes crashed into the Pacific Ocean off Japan’s southwestern coast after a midair collision early Thursday, and search and rescue operations are underway.
The U.S. Marine Corps said Thursday an FA-18 fighter and a KC-130 tanker aircraft were involved “a mishap” off the Japanese coast early Thursday. It said in a statement that the accident is under investigation and gave no further details.
Japan’s Defense Ministry said the two aircraft carrying seven crew members altogether had collided midair and crashed into the sea about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of the Muroto cape on the Shikoku main island.
They said Japanese rescuers found one of the crew members in stable condition. Japanese officials said two crew members were on FA-18, and five others on KC-130.
