Bodies recovered from wreckage of Japanese MSDF helicopters lost in Pacific collision

Several bodies have been recovered from the wreckage of two Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force (MSDF) helicopters that collided in April 2024. The aircraft were salvaged from a depth of 5,500 metres in the Pacific Ocean.

Several bodies have been discovered in the wreckage of two Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force (MSDF) patrol helicopters recovered from the Pacific Ocean following their collision in April 2024, the MSDF announced on Wednesday.

Efforts are ongoing to identify the bodies, though the MSDF did not specify the number recovered, according to Tokyo-based Kyodo News.

The two SH-60K helicopters, which crashed during a night-time drill, had eight personnel on board. Prior to the salvage operation, only one body had been recovered.

One of the helicopters was retrieved late on Tuesday, while the other was salvaged early on Wednesday.

The wreckage was recovered from the seabed at a depth of approximately 5,500 metres (18,044 feet).

The collision occurred on 20 April last year during a submarine detection exercise over waters east of Torishima Island in the Izu Island chain, around 600 kilometres (372 miles) south of Tokyo.

An investigative report released in July 2024 by the MSDF suggested that a misjudgement of the distance between the two helicopters may have contributed to the crash.

The MSDF signed a $10 million contract with the US Navy to carry out the recovery operation.

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