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2 die in Japanese choppers crash

PLA Daily 2004-02-24

TOKYO, Feb. 23 (Xinhuanet) -- Two helicopters of Japan's Self-Defense Forces crashed Monday morning following a collision in midair, two died from injury in the hospital.

The two AH-1S attack helicopters, which belong to a training school of the Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF), crashed around 10:25 a.m.(0125 GMT) into mountains in the town of Isobe, southwest Mie Prefecture when flying for a training.

Rescuers have found and saved all four trainers and trainees aboard, but two died later in hospital, the NHK Television quoted local police as saying.

An officer of the GSDF denied earlier report that one helicopter disintegrated in the air, saying the pilots made emergency landing after the clash, Kyodo News said.

This was the fourth accidents involving the AH-1S attack helicopters over the past four years. Two pilots were seriously injured in June, 2000, when the chopper crashed in a drill. A midair clash led to two deaths in February, 2001. And one made an emergency landing last May, which incurred no injury or death.