A Japanese coastguard helicopter crashed into the sea on Wednesday after apparently hitting offshore power lines, leaving its five crew missing, a coastguard official said.
The helicopter Akizuru crashed near small islets that are part of Kagawa prefecture on Shikoku, one of Japan's four main islands. "Several patrol ships are now searching for the missing people," the coastguard official said.
He said conditions were believed to be sunny and calm at the time of the accident, which happened shortly after 3.00 pm local time (0600 GMT).