US And Japanese Militaries Continue Search For Missing Marines
 

US And Japanese Militaries Continue Search For Missing Marines
By: Katherine Biek - Newsy - 12-6-18
RE: https://www.newsy.com/stories/us-jap...ssing-marines/

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The Marines were on board two aircrafts that collided in midair during a training mission off the coast of Japan.
Crews are still searching for multiple U.S. Marines who went missing after two aircrafts collided in midair about 200 miles off the coast of Japan early Thursday morning local time.

According to the U.S. military, the planes involved were an F/A-18 fighter jet and a refueling plane. They were reportedly "conducting regularly scheduled training" at the time of the crash.

The Japanese military and U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet are helping with the search and rescue efforts.

Of the seven crew members that were on board the planes that collided, at least two have been found alive. One is reportedly in fair condition, while the other was taken to the hospital for evaluation after being rescued. U.S. Forces, Japan says it's investigating the incident.

2nd report: Five Marines missing, two rescued after crash into sea
 

Five Marines missing, two rescued after crash into sea
BY MICHAEL BURKE - 12/06/18 07:57 AM EST
RE: https://thehill.com/policy/defense/4...crash-into-sea

Five U.S. Marines are missing and two have been rescued after two aircraft collided Thursday near Japan and crashed into the ocean, the Marine Corps and Japanese officials said.

The Marine base in Okinawa, Japan, said in a statement Thursday that search and rescue operations were underway for aircraft "that were involved in a mishap approximately 200 miles off of the coast of Japan" around 2 a.m. Thursday.

The Marine base added that the crash happened during "regularly scheduled training."

Seven Marines were aboard the two aircraft when they collided, and two of them have so far been found. One of the Marines who was rescued is in fair condition and the other is being evaluated, the Marines said.

The Marines said that U.S. and Japanese forces are working together to search for the remaining Marines.

Japanese Defence Minister Takeshi Iwaya called the crash "regrettable" during a news conference Thursday.

“The incident is regrettable, but our focus at the moment is on search and rescue,” Iwaya said, according to Reuters. “Japan will respond appropriately once the details of the incident are uncovered.”

The incident is the latest in a growing number of U.S. military aviation crashes, with the Military Times reporting earlier this year that accidents involving U.S. military aircraft rose almost 40 percent between fiscal 2013 and 2017.