US warplanes involved in ‘mishap’ off coast of Japan; 1 Marine rescued, search continues for 6 more

By Jonathan Raymond 

(RNN) – A search and rescue mission has recovered one Marine, with six others missing, after an incident termed a “mishap” involving two U.S. military aircraft off the coast of Japan.

The Associated Press, citing the Japanese Defense Ministry, said the warplanes, a KC-130 and F/A-18, collided midair and crashed into the sea about 60 miles from the Japanese island of Shikoku.

Japanese officials told the AP that the crew member recovered was in stable condition. According to the AP, two were aboard the F/A-18 and five were aboard the KC-130.

The U.S. Naval Institute reported the aircraft were conducting routine training.

“One of the personnel involved in the mishap is being evaluated by competent medical authorities,” a post to the U.S. Marines' official Twitter account said, tagging the Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in southern Japan where the planes departed from. “The search and rescue operations continue for the remaining six Marines."

The account earlier tweeted that, “Search and rescue operations continue for a KC-130 and an F/A-18 that were involved in a mishap off of the coast of Japan around 2:00 am Dec. 6. The circumstances of the mishap are currently under investigation."

It is currently early Thursday morning locally in Japan. The crash occurred around noon ET on Wednesday in the U.S.

A KC-130 is a long-range version of the C-130 refueling tanker. The F/A-18 is a fighter jet.

Japanese authorities were aiding in the search and rescue mission. The III Marine Expeditionary Force based in Okinawa thanked the Japanese for their help.

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