At least one dead as US Osprey aircraft crashes off coast of Japan

At least one person was killed Wednesday after a US military Osprey aircraft crashed off the coast of Japan’s Yakushima Island in southern Kagoshima prefecture, according to a spokesperson from the Japan Coast Guard.

Six people were on board the aircraft, the Coast Guard said. Previously, officials said eight people had been on board.

The spokesperson added that no further information was available on the other individuals on board and the reason behind the crash.

The Coast Guard received information about the crash around 2:47 p.m. local time (12:47 a.m. ET), said the spokesperson, adding the 10th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters has dispatched a patrol boat and aircraft to the crash area.

The Kagoshima prefectural official did not specify if the request came from the US Marines or Air Force.

It is the latest crash to involve an Osprey military aircraft, with numerous accidents reported over the years.

In August this year three US Marines were killed and several others seriously wounded after an Osprey crashed during military exercises in Australia.

In 2022, five US Marines died after their MV-22B Osprey plane crashed during a training mission near Glamis, California. The same year four US service members were killed when their Osprey crashed during NATO training exercises in Norway.

The Osprey is a highly flexible aircraft that is can take off vertically like a helicopter but also carry out high speed cruising of a more conventional turboprop plane with wings.

This story is breaking and will be updated.