Five Marines Declared Dead After Aviation Disaster

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TOKYO — Five United States Marines were declared dead on Tuesday, six days after they went missing when two aircraft crashed off the coast of Japan during a routine training exercise.

The deaths follow a growing number of recent American military accidents, including two deadly collisions involving American warships in 2017, and will likely sharpen the spotlight on the country’s military operations in Asia.

After a search and rescue operation that spanned more than 800 hours and covered 35,000 square miles of ocean, the bodies of the five missing Marines have yet to be recovered.

“It is with a heavy heart that we have shifted to recovery operations,” said Air Force Lt. Gen. Jerry Martinez, commander of United States Forces in Japan commander, in a statement. “I ask that you please keep the families and friends of these Marines in your thoughts during this incredibly difficult time.”

Two Marines were rescued from the KC-130 Hercules and F/A-18 Hornet that were involved in the accident about 200 miles off the coast of Japan. The pilot of the F/A-18 Hornet, Capt. Jahmar F. Resilard, 28, of Miramar, Fla., died in a hospital after the rescue. The other rescued Marine, as yet unidentified, has been released from the hospital.

In a statement, the Marines said that the families and next of kin of the five Marines declared deceased had been notified. The names of the deceased will be released Wednesday.

The Marines gave few details about the accident, but said that an investigation was still going on. “It is not confirmed that aerial refueling was ongoing when the mishap occurred,” the statement said. Japan’s defense ministry said that the two planes collided midair before crashing into the sea.



Source : Nytimes