Missing Japan Chopper, Several Bodies Found

Crews searching for a Self-Defense Forces (SDF) helicopter that went missing with 10 personnel aboard off Okinawa Prefecture last week have found what are believed to be several bodies, a government source said, Kyodo News reported.

Photo Insert: The latest discoveries come after searchers on Thursday night located what appeared to be a body and a major part of the UH-60JA helicopter.

The latest discoveries come after searchers on Thursday night located what appeared to be a body and a major part of the UH-60JA helicopter, which disappeared from radar shortly after taking off from a base on Miyako Island on April 6 at 3:46 p.m., Yomiuri Shimbun also reported.

Those aboard the helicopter included Lt. Gen. Yuichi Sakamoto, the 55-year-old commander of the Ground Self-Defense Force's 8th Division based in Kumamoto Prefecture.

The discoveries were made on the northern side of Irabu Island, which is connected by a bridge to Miyako Island, in an area where the sea is around 100 meters deep.

An unmanned underwater camera showed severe damage to the helicopter piece after a minesweeper's sonar had pinpointed its location.

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