Tokyo--United States military helicopter crashed on Monday in a US base in the southern island of Okinawa, and four members of the crew are believed to have survived, said that Japanese and U.S. officials.
The rescue helicopter HH-60, which belongs to Air Base Okinawa Kadena, was on a training mission without specifying when it crashed at Camp Hansen, a United States air force statement said.
Television images showed smoke rising from a place in the forest with a mutilated object that appeared to be part of the helicopter in flames.
The United States statement said that the cause of the accident was not known and does not elaborate on the condition of the four crew members aboard.
However, the Minister of defence Itsunori Onodera told reporters, quoting information received, that expulsion three crew members of the helicopter and the fourth apparently was wounded and transferred to hospital.
Onodera said that the accident was "regrettable" and that it was the United States to provide information promptly, conduct a thorough investigation and take preventive measures.
Okinawa prefectural police said there were no reports of injury or damage outside the base.
The clash comes amid strong domestic opposition to the US Marine Corps additional deployment of 12 MV-22 Osprey transport aircraft on the island. Approximately half of the 50,000 U.S. troops in Japan are based on Okinawa under a Pact of security of Japan and United States.
Military sentiment on the island is a long-standing problem, and many residents have complained about accidents, noise, and base-related crime.
Local media said that the accident revived memories of the accident in 2004, when a CH-53 helicopters from Marine Corps Air Station Futenma crashed into a University near the building, causing an uproar although there are civilians wounded and the crew survived.
"We knew that it was going to happen sooner or later," said the Mayor of Kadena Hiroshi Toyama, referring to the clash on Monday.
