5 bodies found underwater in search for missing US Osprey crew in Japan

Tokyo, Dec 4 (IANS) In search for the US military Osprey aircraft that crashed last week in the waters off southwestern Japan, the bodies of five missing crew members were found to be located underwater, according to local media outlets.

The bodies, along with multiple pieces of wreckage from the Osprey, were found in waters off the country's southwestern island of Yakushima on Monday morning during an underground search conducted by the US Navy and Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force, Xinhua news agency quoted Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun as saying citing government officials.

Divers have also found what appears to be the main part of the tilt-rotor aircraft, national news agency Kyodo reported.

The US Osprey military transport aircraft based in Japan, with eight people on board, crashed on November 29.

One unconscious person was found in the sea and later confirmed dead.

The US Air Force said that the CV-22 tilt-rotor transport aircraft was involved in a "mishap" while carrying out routine training.

Following the accident, Japan announced that it would suspend its own Osprey flights while urging the US to confirm the safety of its fleet.