Multiple bodies have been found in the wreckage of two Maritime Self-Defense Force patrol helicopters salvaged from the Pacific Ocean, the MSDF said Wednesday, after they fatally collided in April 2024.
Work is ongoing to identify the bodies, the MSDF said. Eight personnel were on board the two SH-60K helicopters that crashed during a night drill. Only one body had been recovered prior to the salvage operation.
The MSDF said it recovered the aircraft from the seabed at a depth of around 5,500 meters. One helicopter was salvaged late Tuesday, the other early Wednesday.
The choppers collided on April 20 last year during a submarine detection drill over waters east of Torishima Island in the Izu Island chain, about 600 kilometers south of Tokyo.
In July 2024, the MSDF released an investigative report into the accident, indicating that a misjudgment of the distance between the two helicopters may have occurred. The MSDF signed a $10 million contract with the U.S. Navy to salvage the choppers.
© KYODO
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Speed
That's pretty damn deep.
grc
Not sure what the last sentence is doing in this story. Was the US Navy instrumental in finding and salvaging the helicopters?
Cephus
RIP MSDF Personnels.
Desert Tortoise
Yes. The US Navy conducted the salvage operation.