Three dead in Japan after medical helicopter crash

TOKYO: Three people died after a medical helicopter crashed into the sea off southwestern Japan, the coast guard said on Monday.

A total of six passengers were on board the helicopter heading to a hospital in Fukuoka city from Tsushima Island in the Nagasaki region on Sunday afternoon. Ryuji Tominaga, the hospital´s head, told reporters that the accident was “utterly heartbreaking”.

A few hours after losing communication, the six passengers were found by a patrol ship along with the helicopter. The 86-year-old patient, her 68-year-old family member and a 34-year-old doctor were unresponsive and later confirmed dead, the Japan´s coast guard said.