US military aircraft with eight aboard crashes off Japan island

A US military aircraft with eight personnel on board has crashed off Yakushima Island in Japan.

The Japanese coast guard told the BBC that one person has been found, but that their condition is unclear.

Local media also quoted officials who said the remains of the plane have likely been found off Yakushima.

Japanese broadcaster NHK said the CV-22 Osprey was trying to land at Yakushima Airport. The plane’s left engine was on fire, it added.

The aircraft was thought to be heading from Iwakuni base in the Yamaguchi region to Kadena base in Okinawa. A rescue mission has been launched.

Yakushima, in Kagoshima prefecture, is located south of Japan’s Kyushu island.

The Osprey is an aircraft that can function as a helicopter and a turboprop aircraft.

It has been involved in a string of fatal crashes over the years.

In August, another Osprey crashed in northern Australia during a military exercise for locally based troops, killing three US marines among the 23 on board.

In 2017, three marines were killed when an Osprey crashed after clipping the back of a transport ship while trying to land at sea off Australia’s northern coast.