Second crew member found after US Marine Corps planes collide near Japan

FILE: A F/A-18 jet at United States Marine Corps air station in Iwakuni, western Japan.
(Kyodo News via AP)

A second crew member has been found in the Pacific Ocean near Japan where two Marine Corps aircraft collided while refueling in mid-air early Thursday during a training exercise, according to Japan's Defense Ministry.

Five others remained missing.

The second person was found about 60 miles south of Muroto Cape on Shikoku island in southwestern Japan, the Maritime Self-Defense Force said. The crew member's condition was unknown.

The Marines said 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 crash occurred about 200 miles off the coast.

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. The crew member was reportedly taken to a hospital at a Marine Corps base in Iwakuni and was being treated. No further details were provided.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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