Rescuers are searching for five of seven crew members believed to have been on board two US Marine planes that collided mid-air off the coast of Japan in the early hours of Thursday morning, according to Japan’s Ministry of Defense and the US Marine Corps.

The KC-130 and F/A-18 collided at 1:42 a.m. local time, according to a Japanese Defense Ministry statement.

According to a statement from the US Marine Corps, the crash happened during an aerial refueling that was part of a routine training. The primary mission of a KC-130 is airborne refueling.

It is believed five crew were on board the KC-130 and two on the F/A-18 at the time of the crash, two US defense officials told CNN.

One Marine was rescued by a helicopter from Japan’s Self Defense Force at 5:43 a.m. local time (6 p.m. ET), according to Japanese and US officials.

First Lieutenant Josh Hayes, a public affairs officer with the 3rd Marines Expeditionary Forces based out of Okinawa, told CNN the Marine was in “fair condition.”

A second US Marine was found by a Japanese military ship at 12:13 p.m. local (12:00 a.m. ET) and was being transferred to a mainland medical facility, according to Japanese defense spokesperson Norio Harada. The condition of the second Marine is currently unknown.

Japan has dispatched 10 aircraft and three ships from its Self Defense Force and Coast Guard to help with the search for five people still believed to be missing.

The US 7th Fleet said in a statement that it was supporting ongoing search and rescue efforts with a Navy P-8A Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft flying out of Kadena Air Force Base.

Rescue teams are battling bad weather which has passed through the area in the last 24 hours or so, bringing showers, storms and sustained winds of 30 to 40 mph.

“The weather is definitely going to play a factor,” said Hayes. “It’s a full team effort between us and the Japanese defense force. And we’re hoping to get our Marines back.”

The crash happened approximately 200 miles (321 kilometers) off the coast of Iwakuni, Japan, a US Marine Corps official told CNN.

The planes “had launched from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni and were conducting regularly scheduled training when the mishap occurred,” according to a statement from the US Marine Corps.

Wednesday’s incident comes on the same day that the Marines released a report on a crash in July 2017, also involving a KC-130 variant that killed 15 Marines and one sailor.

That KC-130T crash took place in Leflore County, Mississippi, and the “investigation determined that the aircraft’s propeller did not receive proper depot-level maintenance during its last overhaul … in September 2011, which missed corrosion that may have contributed to the propeller blade” coming loose during the flight and going into the aircraft’s fuselage, according to a Marine Corps statement on the investigation.</s>One of two crew members recovered after two US warplanes collided and crashed off Japan’s coast early is dead and five others remain missing, the US military said. The Marine Corps said the other recovered crew member was in fair condition. It said an F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet and a KC-130 Hercules refuelling aircraft collided during training after taking off from their base in Iwakuni, near Hiroshima. The seven crew members included two in the F/A-18 and five in the KC-130.

The Marines said in a statement that the two planes were involved in routine training, including aerial refuelling, but that it was still investigating what was happening when the accident occurred. The crash took place 200 miles off the coast, according to the US military. Japanese officials said it occurred closer to the coast, about 60 miles, and that is where the search and rescue mission found the two crew members.

Japan’s Maritime Self-Defence Force, which dispatched aircraft and vessels to join in the search operation, said Japanese rescuers found one of the crew from the fighter jet in stable condition. The Marines said the crew member was taken to a hospital on the base in Iwakuni and was in fair condition, but did not provide any other details.

President Donald Trump tweeted on Thursday that his thoughts and prayers are with the Marine Corps crew members involved in the collision. He thanked the US Forces in Japan for their “immediate response and rescue efforts” and said “Whatever you need, we are here for you”. The crash is the latest in recent series of accidents involving the US military deployed to and near Japan. Last month, a US Navy F/A-18 Hornet from the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan crashed into the sea southwest of Japan’s southern island of Okinawa, though its two pilots were rescued safely. In mid-October, a MH-60 Seahawk also belonging to the Ronald Reagan crashed off the Philippine Sea shortly after takeoff, causing non-fatal injuries to a dozen sailors. More than 50,000 US troops are based in Japan under a bilateral security pact.</s>In this aerial photo, Japan's Coast Guard ship is seen at sea during a search operation for U.S. Marine refueling plane and fighter jet off Muroto, Kochi prefecture, southwestern Japan, Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018. A Marine refueling plane and a fighter jet crashed into the Pacific Ocean off Japan's southwestern coast after a midair collision early Thursday, and rescuers found one of the seven crew members in stable condition while searching for the others, officials said. The U.S. Marine Corps said that the 2 a.m. crash involved an F/A-18 fighter jet and a KC-130 refueling aircraft during regular training after the planes took off from their base in Iwakuni, near Hiroshima in western Japan. (Kyodo News via AP)</s>Gunnery Sgt. Christopher Giannetti/U.S. Marine Corps(WASHINGTON) — Search and rescue operations are underway off the coast of Japan for a U.S. Marine Corps KC-130 refueling tanker and an F/A-18 fighter jet involved in a mishap, according to the Marines.

Two people have been found by Japanese Maritime Self Defense Forces, which is leading search and rescue efforts with both surface ships and aircraft, a spokesperson for III Marine Expeditionary Force in Japan.

The first person was in good condition, while the second person’s condition was unclear and they were taken to a local medical facility for evaluation.

There were five personnel on board the KC-130 and two on board the F/A-18 at the time of the incident, a Marine official told ABC News.

“The aircraft involved in the mishap had launched from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni and were conducting regularly scheduled training when the mishap occurred,” according to a Marine Corps Base Camp Butler statement on Wednesday.

The incident occurred about 200 miles off the coast of Iwakuni at 2 a.m. on Thursday, or about noon Wednesday, Eastern Standard Time.

The circumstances of the mishap were under investigation and no other information was available, according to the statement.

The last major U.S. military aircraft incident occurred in May when an Air National Guard C-130 cargo plane crashed outside Savannah, killing all nine personnel on board. A recent investigation determined that crash was due in part to pilot error.</s>The Latest: Japan finds 2nd US Marine crew after crash

TOKYO (AP) — The Latest on the midair collision of two U.S. warplanes off Japan (all times local):

Japan's Defense Ministry says a second crew member has been found in the waters off the Japanese coast where two U.S. Marine Corps warplanes collided and crashed. Five others are still missing.

The Maritime Self-Defense Force said Thursday that the second person was found about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Muroto Cape on Shikoku island in southwestern Japan. The crew's condition is unknown.

The Marines say an F/A-18 fighter jet and a KC-130 refueling aircraft collided and crashed during training around 2 a.m. after the planes took off from their base in Iwakuni, near Hiroshima. The seven crew members included two in the F/A-18 and five in the KC-130. One crew from the fighter jet was rescued in stable condition earlier Thursday.

Japanese and U.S. officials say two American warplanes crashed into the Pacific Ocean off Japan's southwestern coast after a midair collision early Thursday, and search and rescue operations are underway.

The U.S. Marine Corps said Thursday an FA-18 fighter and a KC-130 tanker aircraft were involved "a mishap" off the Japanese coast early Thursday. It said in a statement that the accident is under investigation and gave no further details.

Japan's Defense Ministry said the two aircraft carrying seven crew members altogether had collided midair and crashed into the sea about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of the Muroto cape on the Shikoku main island.

They said Japanese rescuers found one of the crew members in stable condition. Japanese officials said two crew members were on FA-18, and five others on KC-130.</s>The U.S. Marine Corps reports that two of its aircraft were involved in a “mishap” off the coast of Japan around 2 a.m. local time on Wednesday.

A Marine spokesman released a statement saying one of the personnel from the planes “is being evaluated by competent medical authorities.” Searchers are trying to find six missing Marines.

“The aircraft involved in the mishap, a KC-130 and an F/A-18, had launched from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni and were conducting regularly scheduled training when the mishap occurred. “Japanese search and rescue aircraft immediately responded to aid in recovery. “The circumstances of the mishap are currently under investigation.”

This breaking story will be updated as new information becomes available.</s>In this aerial photo, Japan's Coast Guard ship is seen at sea during a search operation for U.S. Marine refueling plane and fighter jet off Muroto, Kochi prefecture, southwestern Japan, Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018. A Marine refueling plane and a fighter jet crashed into the Pacific Ocean off Japan's southwestern coast after a midair collision early Thursday, and rescuers found one of the seven crew members in stable condition while searching for the others, officials said. The U.S. Marine Corps said that the 2 a.m. crash involved an F/A-18 fighter jet and a KC-130 refueling aircraft during regular training after the planes took off from their base in Iwakuni, near Hiroshima in western Japan. (Kyodo News via AP)</s>The Latest: Japan finds 2nd US Marine crew after crash

TOKYO (AP) — The Latest on the midair collision of two U.S. warplanes off Japan (all times local):

Japan's Defense Ministry says a second crew member has been found in the waters off the Japanese coast where two U.S. Marine Corps warplanes collided and crashed. Five others are still missing.

The Maritime Self-Defense Force said Thursday that the second person was found about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Muroto Cape on Shikoku island in southwestern Japan. The crew's condition is unknown.

The Marines say an F/A-18 fighter jet and a KC-130 refueling aircraft collided and crashed during training around 2 a.m. after the planes took off from their base in Iwakuni, near Hiroshima. The seven crew members included two in the F/A-18 and five in the KC-130. One crew from the fighter jet was rescued in stable condition earlier Thursday.

Japanese and U.S. officials say two American warplanes crashed into the Pacific Ocean off Japan's southwestern coast after a midair collision early Thursday, and search and rescue operations are underway.

The U.S. Marine Corps said Thursday an FA-18 fighter and a KC-130 tanker aircraft were involved "a mishap" off the Japanese coast early Thursday. It said in a statement that the accident is under investigation and gave no further details.

Japan's Defense Ministry said the two aircraft carrying seven crew members altogether had collided midair and crashed into the sea about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of the Muroto cape on the Shikoku main island.

They said Japanese rescuers found one of the crew members in stable condition. Japanese officials said two crew members were on FA-18, and five others on KC-130.</s>In this aerial photo, Japan's Coast Guard ship is seen at sea during a search operation for U.S. Marine refueling plane and fighter jet off Muroto, Kochi prefecture, southwestern Japan, Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018. A Marine refueling plane and a fighter jet crashed into the Pacific Ocean off Japan's southwestern coast after a midair collision early Thursday, and rescuers found one of the seven crew members in stable condition while searching for the others, officials said. The U.S. Marine Corps said that the 2 a.m. crash involved an F/A-18 fighter jet and a KC-130 refueling aircraft during regular training after the planes took off from their base in Iwakuni, near Hiroshima in western Japan. (Kyodo News via AP)</s>The Latest: Japan finds 2nd US Marine crew after crash

TOKYO (AP) — The Latest on the midair collision of two U.S. warplanes off Japan (all times local):

Japan's Defense Ministry says a second crew member has been found in the waters off the Japanese coast where two U.S. Marine Corps warplanes collided and crashed. Five others are still missing.

The Maritime Self-Defense Force said Thursday that the second person was found about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Muroto Cape on Shikoku island in southwestern Japan. The crew's condition is unknown.

The Marines say an F/A-18 fighter jet and a KC-130 refueling aircraft collided and crashed during training around 2 a.m. after the planes took off from their base in Iwakuni, near Hiroshima. The seven crew members included two in the F/A-18 and five in the KC-130. One crew from the fighter jet was rescued in stable condition earlier Thursday.

Japanese and U.S. officials say two American warplanes crashed into the Pacific Ocean off Japan's southwestern coast after a midair collision early Thursday, and search and rescue operations are underway.

The U.S. Marine Corps said Thursday an FA-18 fighter and a KC-130 tanker aircraft were involved "a mishap" off the Japanese coast early Thursday. It said in a statement that the accident is under investigation and gave no further details.

Japan's Defense Ministry said the two aircraft carrying seven crew members altogether had collided midair and crashed into the sea about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of the Muroto cape on the Shikoku main island.

They said Japanese rescuers found one of the crew members in stable condition. Japanese officials said two crew members were on FA-18, and five others on KC-130.
A search and rescue operation is underway for 7 servicemen after an incident involving a US Marine Corp F/A-18 fighter jet and a KC-130 refueling aircraft off the coast of Japan.