According to Euronews, on April 6, the Japanese Coast Guard said that three of the six people on a Japanese medical helicopter died after the plane crashed into the sea in southwestern Japan.
pilots Hiroshi Hamada (66 years old), Katsuto Yoshitake and 28-year-old nurse Sakura Kunitake were rescued by coastguards after being spotted clinging to life buoys at sea.
An unnamed coastguard official said the bodies of all three people were in a state of serious disrepair when rescued.
The body of Dr. Kei Arakawa (34 years old), patient Mitsuki Motoishi (86 years old) and caregiver Kazuyoshi Motoishi (68 years old) was later found and taken up by a helicopter of the Japanese Air Defense Forces.
During the rescue operation, the Coast Guard deployed 2 rescue aircraft and 3 ships.
The helicopter carrying 6 people in distress is called "doctor helicopter", this is a type of helicopter that specializes in transporting doctors to areas in emergency.
According to Euronews, the helicopter was en route from an airport in Nagasaki Prefecture to a hospital in Fukuoka when it crashed. The cause of the helicopter crash has not yet been determined.
