Rescuers have located the wreckage of a sightseeing helicopter that went missing near an active volcano in Japan.
During a search of Mount Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture, authorities found what seemed to be an aircraft near the first crater of Nakadake on Tuesday afternoon local time. Japanese media later confirmed that it was the missing helicopter.
The helicopter, carrying two Taiwanese tourists and a Japanese pilot, disappeared around 11am local time while touring the area. It was spotted by a police helicopter around 4.10pm after a few hours of searching.
The alarm was raised when Takumi Air, the helicopter’s operator, received a distress signal. The fire department then received a notification indicating an impact on a smartphone belonging to one of the passengers on board.
A security guard near the crater reported hearing a sound around the time the helicopter went missing, according to the Aso Mountaintop Office.
The helicopter was supposed to land at Mount Aso at 11.10am after departing from the tourist facility Cuddly Dominion. When it did not arrive, a rescue operation was initiated, involving helicopters from the tour agency, police, and firefighting teams. The Japan Self-Defense Forces also joined the search efforts, as stated by Kumamoto Prefecture Governor Takashi Kimura.
Despite no recent significant volcanic activity, search efforts were hindered by heavy fog. The passengers have been identified as a 41-year-old man, a 36-year-old woman from Taiwan, and a 64-year-old Japanese pilot, according to Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun.
Mount Aso, the second-largest active volcano in Japan, is believed to have been created by massive eruptions thousands of years ago. Mount Nakadake, one of its peaks, has seven craters, including an active one measuring 600 meters in diameter and 130 meters deep, with a circumference of about 4 kilometers.