The coastguard in Japan said Friday that rescuers found more parts of a military helicopter a day after it vanished from radar with 10 people on board. The UH-60JA was carrying two pilots, two mechanics, and six crew members when it went missing shortly before 4:00 p.m. local time (0700 GMT) on Thursday as it flew above waters off Miyako Island in southern Okinawa. Rescuers from the Coast Guard discovered several pieces of debris from the helicopter, including a door, a snapped blade, and a yellow life raft still packed inside a bag. There was no word on what caused the apparent accident, which happened while the plane was on a reconnaissance mission in the area.
Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada appeared to hold back tears as he promised that the search would continue. We conducted search and rescue operations throughout the night, but we have yet to locate General (Yuichi) Sakamoto of the Ground Self Defense Force 8th division, as well as the nine other individuals, he said, his voice quavering. We will make every effort to locate the ten people who have gone missing, he said.
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