Tokyo (AP) – A medical transport helicopter fell into the sea in southwest Japan, killing the patient and two other people, the Japan said the Coast Guard.
The pilot, Hiroshi Hamada, 66 years old; Kazuto Yoshitake, helicopter mechanic and 28 -year -old nurse, Sakura Kunitake, were saved by the Coast Guard after being found in the waters cling to inflatable rescuers. The three suffered from hypothermia but were aware, said a Coast Guard official at the Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity in accordance with regulations.
Yoshitake’s first name was initially given with a different spelling, but the Coast Guard corrected it later.
The doctor’s body, Kei Arakawa, 34 years old; Mitsuki Motoishi, 86 years old, the patient, and her Kazuyoshi Motoishi keeper, 68 years old, were then recovered by a helicopter for force of air self -defense in Japan.
The Coast Guard deployed two planes and three ships in the region as part of the rescue operation.
The helicopter was heading for a Fukuoka hospital from an airport in the Nagasaki prefecture when he crashed, according to the Coast Guard.
The cause of the accident remains under investigation, the Coast Guard said on Monday.
