US military Osprey crash-lands off Okinawa, no fatalities

US military Ospery aircraft has crash-landed off Japan's southern island of Okinawa, but its five crewmembers were safely rescued.

The US Marine Corps. Said today that an MV-22 Osprey, tilt-rotor aircraft landed in shallow water off Okinawa's east coast late Tuesday. They said in a statement the crewmembers were airlifted to a Navy hospital at the Kadena Air Base for treatment.

Japanese defense officials said two of them sustained injuries that were not life-threatening.

The crash just off Nago City triggered protests on Okinawa, where anti-US military sentiment is strong. It also comes one week after a Marine Corps pilot died after his F/A-18 fighter jet crashed off western Japan.
 

Japan's Defense Ministry asked the US military to suspend Osprey flights until the cause of the accident is known.