New Delhi: Japan's Defence Minister Minoru Kihara said that two Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force (MSDF) helicopters, believed to be SH-60K models, carrying four crew members each, are suspected to have crashed during night-time training in the Pacific Ocean south of Tokyo. The incident occurred late Saturday near Torishima island, news agency AP reported.
While one of the eight crew members has been rescued from the waters, his condition remains unknown. Search efforts are ongoing for the remaining seven persons. The cause of the crash is yet to be determined, according to Kihara, AP reported.
This incident follows just a few days after a helicopter crash in western Kenya, where the country's military chief, Francis Ogolla, lost his life. The crash occurred shortly after take-off on Thursday afternoon local time, resulting in the death of Ogolla and nine other military personnel, as stated by President William Ruto. Two persons survived the crash, CNN reported.
“I am deeply saddened to announce the passing on of General Francis Omondi Ogolla, the Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces. For me, as the Commander in Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces, it is a tragic moment for the Kenya Defence Forces fraternity and it is a most unfortunate day for the nation at large,” CNN quoted Ruto as saying.
President Ruto said that a team of investigators has been dispatched to the crash site in Elgeyo Marakwet County to ascertain the cause of the accident. Ogolla's trip from Nairobi on Thursday was intended to visit troops in the North Rift region and inspect ongoing school renovations, as per the president's statement.
In response to the incident, President Ruto convened an urgent meeting of the National Security Council in Nairobi, according to presidential spokesperson Hussein Mohamed.
The Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) reported that Ogolla is the first Kenyan military chief to die while in active service.