TOKYO – Japan’s Ground Self-Defence Force (GSDF) has lost track of a helicopter carrying 10 people near Miyako island in the south-western prefecture of Okinawa, public broadcaster NHK reported on Thursday.

The Kyodo news agency, citing sources, reported that the UH-60 helicopter, carrying several GSDF members, disappeared from the GSDF’s radar at around 4.30pm on Thursday.

The Coast Guard’s patrol ships are searching the ocean about 18km north-west of the Miyako airport, it reported.

The helicopter belonged to the army’s branch in the southern Kumamoto region, NHK said. 

After taking off from Miyako island before 4pm, it was scheduled to have returned after an hour-long flight. 

“Saving lives is our utmost priority,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said while briefly addressing reporters. REUTERS, AFP