Five Marines missing after military aircraft carrying seven collide off Japan

The aircraft launched from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, on a regularly scheduled training exercise, the Marine Corps said. - Copyright Kyodo via AP file

By Arata Yamamoto and Alex Johnson and Doha Madani and Hans Nichols and Mosheh Gains with NBC News World News

Published on 05/12/2018 - 23:02

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Japan's chief cabinet secretary said a U.S. tanker and a combat jet "came in contact" and crashed into the sea. Two Marines had been rescued.

TOKYO — Search operations continued Thursday for five missing U.S. Marines after a pair of planes carrying seven Marines collided about 200 miles off Japan in a refueling accident, U.S. and Japanese authorities said.

The planes, a KC-130 extended-range tanker carrying five crew members and an F/A-18 combat jet carrying two, "came in contact in the air" and crashed into the sea at around 1:42 a.m. Thursday (11:42 a.m. ET Wednesday), said Yoshihide Suga, Japan's chief cabinet secretary.

The Japanese Defense Ministry said Friday local time that the two other Marines had been rescued.

The Marines said one of them was taken back to base for treatment. There was no immediate information on the second rescued Marine.

The aircraft had launched from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, on a regularly scheduled training exercise, the Marines said. Suga said the Defense Ministry had asked the United States for more information.

Arata Yamamoto reported from Tokyo. Alex Johnson reported from Los Angeles.

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