Search-and-rescue efforts continued Thursday for eight Air Force crew members still missing after a CV-22 Osprey crashed into the ocean off the coast of southern Japan, as Japanese officials grounded their aircraft and called on the U.S. military to do the same.
The Air Force and Pentagon provided no new details on the cause of the 353rd Special Operations Wing training crash Wednesday off Yakushima Island or on the status of the U.S. aircrew, confirming only that the search of the ocean was continuing as efforts stretched into the second day.
“Emergency personnel remain on scene conducting search-and-rescue operations,” Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Thursday. “The cause of this incident is currently under investigation.”
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A Wednesday statement from Air Force Special Operations Command said the CV-22B Osprey was on a training mission off the shore of the island with eight airmen aboard.
Japanese Coast Guard officials told local outlets and The Associated Press that one person who had been recovered from the crash was dead, but U.S. military officials — who often won’t confirm the identity of troops who die until next of kin has been notified — have not confirmed that information on the record.
While U.S. officials remained tight-lipped about the crash, multiple Japanese…
