This article is from the source 'independent' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/japan-helicopter-crash-today-house-saga-prefecture-kanzaki-latest-casualties-kindergarten-a8194646.html
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 1 | Version 2 |
---|---|
Japanese military helicopter crashes into house in Kanzaki, Saga Prefecture | Japanese military helicopter crashes into house in Kanzaki, Saga Prefecture |
(about 1 hour later) | |
A Japanese military helicopter has crashed in a built-up area of Kanzaki city in Saga, police told national broadcaster NHK, injuring two people on board the aircraft. | |
Video from the scene showed black smoke rising from a house not far from a nursery school, with emergency services tackling the fire. | Video from the scene showed black smoke rising from a house not far from a nursery school, with emergency services tackling the fire. |
The Boeing AH-64 combat helicopter ripped the top floor off the house and set it on fire, officials said. | |
The four residents of the damaged house were believed to have been away at the time of the accident, said Masaki Endo, a disaster official at the Saga prefectural government. No one else on the ground was believed to have been hurt, he added. | |
The helicopter belonged to the Ground Self-Defense Force's Metabaru training camp, defence ministry officials said. Both crewmembers who were on board at the time had suffered heart and lung failure. | |
Witnesses reported a big boom and ripping noises from the sky before the crash. | |
Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said the helicopter fell nose down after losing contact with air traffic control. He said the cause of the accident is under investigation. | |
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ordered the grounding of all 12 helicopters of the same type for safety checks, Kyodo News agency reported. | |
The crash follows a series of emergency landings and other incidents involving US military aircraft on Japan's southern island of Okinawa. | |
Additional reporting by AP | |