3 people are missing after an ambulance helicopter crashes in southwestern Japan

The Japan Coast Guard says a medical transport helicopter carrying a patient fell into the sea in southwestern Japan, leaving three of the six people aboard missing

TOKYO -- A medical transport helicopter carrying a patient fell into the sea in southwestern Japan Sunday, leaving three of the six people aboard missing, the Japan Coast Guard said.

A medical doctor, nurse, pilot, helicopter mechanic and a patient caretaker, in addition to the patient, were aboard what the Japanese call “a doctor helicopter.”

The Japan Coast Guard rescued three who suffered hypothermia, meaning that their body temperatures dropped abnormally, but they were conscious, an official with the coast guard told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

The identities of the three rescued and the cause of the accident remain unclear.

The Coast Guard deployed two planes and three ships to the area as part of the rescue operation.

The helicopter was on its way to a hospital in Fukuoka city from an airport in Nagasaki Prefecture, when it crashed, according to the Coast Guard.

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