INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
NEW DELHI: A US military V-22 Osprey aircraft, carrying eight crew members, crashed off the coast of Japan near Yakushima Island, as
confirmed by the coastguard spokesperson.The coast guard deployed patrol boats and aircraft to the site and has found a person and debris in
the ocean where a US military Osprey aircraft carrying eight people crashed Wednesday off southern Japan, officials said."We received
information at 2:47 pm (0547 GMT) today that the US military's Osprey crashed off Yakushima Island," the coastguard spokeswoman told
"We were also notified that there were eight crew members on board," she added
"There is no further information at the moment." Yakushima Island is situated south of Kyushu, Japan's southernmost main island
This crash follows a previous Osprey accident in northern Australia back in August, where three US marines lost their lives among the 23
The previous incident occurred during a military exercise on Melville Island, north of Darwin, involving locally stationed troops.In
December 2016, yet another Osprey had crash-landed in the ocean near Japan's southern island of Okinawa, leading to a temporary grounding of
these aircraft by the US military.The tilt-rotor aircraft, capable of flying as both a helicopter and a fixed-wing plane, is utilized by the
US Marines, US Navy, and the Japan Self Defense Forces.The presence of Osprey aircraft in Japan has sparked controversy, with critics citing
its accident-prone nature
Despite concerns raised by critics, both the US military and Japan maintain that the aircraft is safe.(With agency inputs)
