A US Air Force V-22 Osprey aircraft crashed off the coast of the island of Yakushima, in the Kagoshima prefecture in southern Japan.
Eight servicemembers were reportedly on board at the time of the crash.
The 10th Regional Coast Guard was called to the scene at approximately 2:47 p.m. local time (5:47 a.m. GMT).
Details on the state of the crew following the crash are currently unavailable.
Initial reports suggest that the crashed aircraft was a CV22 Osprey that had left the US military’s Yokota Air Base in Tokyo.
According to the Japanese outlet NHK, the police received a 110 call stating that: “At around 2:37 p.m., an Osprey landed on the coast near Yakushima Airport with its left engine on fire.”
Officials from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism told the network that the Osprey was headed for Kadena Air Base in the Okinawa prefecture.
Ministry of Defense sources claimed the Osprey was forced to change its itinerary and was heading to Yakushima Airport to attempt a landing.
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