TOKYO — A U.S. military Osprey aircraft with eight people on board crashed into the sea near an island off southern Japan on Wednesday morning, officials said.
A regional coast guard spokesperson confirmed to NBC News that the plane crashed into the ocean near Yakushima, an island about 45 miles south of the Kagoshima region on the southern main island of Kyushu.
The spokesperson said the plane belonged to the U.S. military but couldn’t say where it was based. There were no immediate details available on the status of the aircraft or those on board .
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NBC News has contacted Kadena Air Base on the island of Okinawa, the largest U.S. Air Force base in the region, but had not received any comment at the time of publication.
This is a developing story, check back here for updates.
Arata Yamamoto reported from Tokyo, and Patrick Smith from London.
