A tragic accident claimed the lives of three people, including an 86-year-old patient, after a medical helicopter crashed into the sea off southwestern Japan, the coast guard reported on Monday.
According to AP, the helicopter, carrying six passengers, was en route from Tsushima Island in the Nagasaki region to a hospital in Fukuoka City on Sunday afternoon when communication was lost.
Hours later, a patrol ship located the wreckage and all six individuals on board. The elderly patient, a 68-year-old family member, and a 34-year-old doctor were found unresponsive and later pronounced dead. The remaining three passengers—who were discovered clinging to the helicopter—were conscious, authorities said.
Ryuji Tominaga, head of the receiving hospital, described the crash as “utterly heartbreaking.”
An official from the helicopter’s operating company stated that both the pilot and mechanic were highly experienced, and weather conditions at the time were not considered hazardous.
An investigation into the cause of the crash will be conducted by Japan’s national Maritime Safety Committee.
This incident follows a similar tragedy involving the same operator last July, when another helicopter crashed into farmland in Fukuoka, killing two people, according to the Asahi Shimbun daily.
