US Navy helicopter crashes in Japan
Iran Press TV
Mon Dec 16, 2013 1:35PM GMT
A US Navy helicopter crash-landed near Tokyo, Japan on Monday injuring two crewmembers, officials said.
The MH-60S crashed about 10 miles southwest of Yokosuka Naval Base after sending a distress call at 3:31 p.m. Monday, according to a Commander Naval Forces Japan spokesman.
Kanagawa prefectural police said the helicopter was carrying four crewmembers. Television footage showed the helicopter on its side, with its rotor blades apparently torn off and lying on the ground, according to the Associated Press.
US Forces Japan spokesman David Honchul said the two injured crewmembers were transferred to a hospital for treatment. Their injuries were not life threatening.
Navy police arrived at the scene Monday night to investigate the cause of the crash.
The accident came at a sensitive time, with the Japanese public angry over the long-planned relocation of a US base in southern Okinawa.
Around half of the 47,000 US service personnel in Japan are based on the island chain, which is nearer to Taiwan than it is to Tokyo.
Helicopters from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 12, which belong to the USS George Washington's carrier air wing, typically perform search and rescue operations, anti-surface warfare exercises and other functions.
Another Navy helicopter crashed in the Red Sea while attempting to land aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS William P. Lawrence in September. Two sailors were lost at sea during the accident.
HJ/HJ
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