Five Marines missing in a mid-air crash last week are dead. The U.S. Marine Corps declared the Marines dead yesterday.

 They were lost when two planes collided during a refueling exercise off the coast of Japan. Another Marine was recoverd but died from his injuries and one was rescued in fair condition. </s> TOKYO (dpa-AFX) - The US military stated that five American Marines who have been missing since two US Aircraft collided off the southern coast of Japan are dead.



US Marine Corps Lt Gen Eric Smith, commanding general, III Marine Expeditionary Force, made the announcement Tuesday, after five days of search and rescue operations for the missing US marines were concluded.



'Every possible effort was made to recover our crew and I hope the families of these selfless Americans will find comfort in the incredible efforts made by US, Japanese, and Australian forces during the search,' Smith said on Facebook.



The next-of-kin for the five deceased Marines have been notified, but the US military did not reveal their identities.



A KC-130 Hercules tanker and an F/A-18 Hornet jet crashed about 200 miles off the coast of Japan on December 6 during a regularly-scheduled training. The military did not confirm reports that the mishap occurred during mid-air refueling exercise.



The circumstances of the mishap are currently under investigation.



The United States Marine Corps confirmed that one of the two marines who were rescued after the accident also succumbed to his injuries, raising the death toll to six.



The aircraft had reportedly taken off from Iwakuni, in southern Japan, one of the biggest U.S. air bases in East Asia.



This is the third crash of U.S. military aircraft in about two months, raising concerns within Japan about accidents involving the U.S. military.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX </s> Five U.S. Marines who were missing and declared dead after a collision involving a fighter jet and another military plane off the coast of Japan last week were identified Wednesday. The Marines said that circumstances of the accident are still under investigation.

"It is with heavy hearts that we announce the names of our fallen Marines," Marine Corps Lt. Col. Mitchell T. Maury said in a statement. Maury is the commander of the Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152, to which the five Marines were assigned.

"They were exceptional aviators, Marines, and friends whom will be eternally missed. Our thoughts and prayers remain with their families and loved ones at this extremely difficult time," he said.

Seven Marines were involved and six of those died in the accident that occurred when a KC-130 refueling aircraft carrying five crew members and an F/A-18 fighter jet carrying two others collided. Both aircraft crashed into the sea about 200 miles off the coast on Dec. 6.

Two Marines were rescued after the crash, one of whom, Capt. Jahmar Resilard of Miramar, Florida, later died. The Marine who survived was treated and released from the hospital, Marines spokesman Capt. Christopher Harrison said Wednesday.

The five Marines who were missing and declared dead were identified Wednesday as: Col. Kevin R. Herrmann, 38, of New Bern, North Carolina; James M. Brophy, 36, of Staatsburg, New York; Staff Sgt. Maximo A. Flores, 27, of Surprise, Arizona; Daniel E. Baker, 21, of Tremont, Illinois; and William C. Ross, 21, of Hendersonville, Tennessee.

The Marines will make every effort to salvage the aircraft and recover the bodies of the missing Marines, Maj. Eric Flanagan said in an email Wednesday.

"Every possible effort was made to recover our crew and I hope the families of these selfless Americans will find comfort in the incredible efforts made by U.S., Japanese, and Australian forces during the search," Lt. Gen. Eric M. Smith, commander of U.S. Marine Forces Japan, said in a statement Tuesday afternoon local time (Monday night ET).

The Marine Corps previously confirmed that the aircraft, both of which were assigned to units of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Yamaguchi, Japan, were conducting a training mission when the accident occurred.

Herrmann served 16 years in the Marine Corps and was promoted to lieutenant colonel posthumously. He is survived by his wife and three daughters, the Marines said.

Brophy served 12 years in the Marines and is survived by his wife, son and daughter; Flores served nine years and is survived by his wife; Baker served two years and is survived by his parents; and Ross also served two years and is survived by his mother and father, the Marine Corps said.

Aerial refueling was part of the training mission, but it is unclear whether that was ongoing at the time of the accident, Flanagan said. </s> TOKYO — Search operations continued Thursday for five missing U.S. Marines after a pair of planes carrying seven Marines collided about 200 miles off Japan in a refueling accident, U.S. and Japanese authorities said.

The planes, a KC-130 extended-range tanker carrying five crew members and an F/A-18 combat jet carrying two, "came in contact in the air" and crashed into the sea at around 1:42 a.m. Thursday (11:42 a.m. ET Wednesday), said Yoshihide Suga, Japan's chief cabinet secretary.

The Japanese Defense Ministry said Friday local time that the two other Marines had been rescued.

The Marines said one of them was taken back to base for treatment. There was no immediate information on the second rescued Marine.

The aircraft had launched from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, on a regularly scheduled training exercise, the Marines said. Suga said the Defense Ministry had asked the United States for more information. </s> JAPAN — Five U.S. Marines who were missing after two aircraft collided mid-air off the coast of Japan on Thursday morning have been declared dead, the U.S. Marine Corps said.

The U.S. military called off its search for the Marines on Tuesday, according to a statement from the Marine Expeditionary Force.

“The Marine Corps has pronounced the five remaining Marines involved in the F/A-18 and KC-130 aviation mishap deceased,” the Marine Corps said in a statement. “The change in status comes at the conclusion of search and rescue operations.”

The identities of the Marines have not been released, but the Marine Corps said their next of kin have been notified.

“Every possible effort was made to recover our crew, and I hope the families of these selfless Americans will find comfort in the incredible efforts made by the U.S., Japanese, and Australian forces during the search,” Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Eric Smith, commander of the III Marine Expeditionary Force, said in the statement.

U.S., Japanese and Australian forces conducted more than 800 hours of air and maritime search operations, covering more than 35,000 square miles of ocean, US Forces Japan said in a statement.

The five Marines were among seven crew aboard two aircraft — a KC-130 and F/A-18 — that collided Thursday at 1:42 a.m. local time about 200 miles (320 kilometers) off the coast of Japan. The planes had launched from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, the Marine Corps said in a statement.

The death toll from the accident now stands at six. Two Marines were rescued following the crash. One of them, Capt. Jahmar F. Resilard, 28, later died, the Marine Corps said.

The Marine Corps initially said the accident occurred during an aerial refueling that was part of routine training, but on Tuesday said it is “not confirmed” that refueling was ongoing when the collision occurred. The primary mission of a KC-130 is airborne refueling.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

The two planes belonged to the U.S. Marine Corps, assigned to the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force.

While the cause of Thursday’s crash is under investigation, it comes a year after a spate of incidents — most involving ships assigned to the U.S. 7th Fleet — that included the deaths of 17 sailors.

In August 2017, Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin was relieved of his duty as the commander of 7th Fleet following a deadly collision between the destroyer USS John S. McCain and a merchant ship off Singapore that left 10 U.S. sailors dead.

In June the same year, the guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald, also of the 7th Fleet, collided with a cargo ship off Japan, killing seven U.S. sailors.

Those two fatal collisions were “avoidable” and “numerous failures occurred on the part of leadership,” a Navy report concluded November last year.

Appearing before the House Armed Services Committee as part of an investigation into the series of fatal crashes and collisions at sea, the Navy’s No. 2 officer, Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. William Moran, said the Navy was trying to do too much with too little.

“We continue to have a supply-and-demand problem which is placing a heavy strain on the force,” said Moran. “All of these things culminate with this notion we aren’t big enough to do everything we’re being tasked to do.”

Surveys of sailors aboard the Japan-based guided-missile cruiser USS Shiloh carried out between June 2015 and August 2017 pointed to severe morale problems.

One sailor described serving aboard the ship as being akin to being on “a floating prison,” according to surveys obtained via the Freedom of Information Act by Navy Times.

In the wake of the incidents, the U.S. Navy began reevaluating its operations and included efforts to improve conditions for sailors and personnel, according to the Navy Times in April.

Still, accidents have continued. Most recently, a U.S. Navy helicopter crashed onto the flight deck of the aircraft carrier the USS Ronald Reagan in the Philippine Sea in October, injuring 12 personnel on board. </s> TOKYO, Japan — The U.S. military said Tuesday that five missing crew members have been declared dead after their refueling plane collided with a fighter jet last week off Japan's southern coast, and that search and recovery operations have been halted.

The five were on a KC-130 Hercules refueling aircraft that collided last Thursday with an F/A-18 Hornet during regular training. The warplanes crashed into the sea south of Japan's Shikoku island.

Two crew members in the F/A-18 were recovered after the accident, but one died. The U.S. Marines said the survivor was in stable condition when rescued.

The search, joined by Japanese and Australian forces, was halted Tuesday, and the cause of the crash is still under investigation, the Marines said in a statement.

It said the identities of the five people declared dead will be released after their next of kin are notified.

The Marines earlier identified the dead pilot of the F/A-18 as Capt. Jahmar Resilard, 28, of Miramar, Florida.

The crew members of the refueling aircraft were based at Iwakuni air station near Hiroshima as part of the Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152, whose call sign is Sumo.

"All of us in the Sumo family are extremely saddened following the announcement of the conclusion of search and rescue operation," the squadron's commanding officer, Lt. Col. Mitchell T. Maury, said in the statement. "We know this difficult decision was made after all resources were exhausted in the vigorous search for the Marines."

"Our thoughts are heavy and our prayers are with all family and friends of all five aircrew," Maury said.

The Marines statement said it has not been confirmed whether the two planes were involved in aerial refueling when the collision occurred.

The crash is the latest in a series of recent accidents involving U.S. military forces deployed in and near Japan.

Last month, a U.S. 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. 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.

Two years ago, a MV-22 tilt-rotor aircraft Osprey crashed during a night-time refueling exercise off the southern island of Okinawa, injuring two crew members.

More than 50,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Japan under a security pact. </s> The U.S. military said Tuesday that five missing crew members have been declared dead after their refueling plane collided with a fighter jet last week off Japan's southern coast, and that search and recovery operations have ended after finding only one survivor.

The five were on a KC-130 Hercules refueling aircraft that collided last Thursday with an F/A-18 Hornet during regular training. The warplanes crashed into the sea south of Japan's Shikoku island.

Two crew members in the F/A-18 were recovered after the accident, but one died. The U.S. Marines said the survivor was in stable condition when rescued.

The search, joined by Japanese and Australian forces, was halted Tuesday, and the cause of the crash is still under investigation, the Marines said in a statement.

It said the identities of the five people declared dead will be released after their next of kin are notified.

The Marines earlier identified the dead pilot of the F/A-18 as Capt. Jahmar Resilard, 28, of Miramar, Florida.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a message of condolences to U.S. President Donald Trump, while praying for a speedy recovery of the injured. Abe thanked American troops for their dedication and vowed to cooperate with Trump to further strengthen their alliance to promote regional peace and stability.

"The loss of the outstanding members of U.S. Marine Corps is my deepest regret, and I myself and the Japanese people share deep sorrow of the American people," Abe said. "Japan-U.S. alliance is supported by the dedication of each U.S. military personnel, and I offer my heartfelt condolences to the victims."

The crew members of the refueling aircraft were based at Iwakuni air station near Hiroshima as part of the Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152, whose call sign is Sumo.

"All of us in the Sumo family are extremely saddened following the announcement of the conclusion of search and rescue operation," the squadron's commanding officer, Lt. Col. Mitchell T. Maury, said in the statement. "We know this difficult decision was made after all resources were exhausted in the vigorous search for the Marines."

"Our thoughts are heavy and our prayers are with all family and friends of all five aircrew," Maury said.

The Marines statement said it has not been confirmed whether the two planes were involved in aerial refueling when the collision occurred.

The crash is the latest in a series of recent accidents involving U.S. military forces deployed in and near Japan.

Last month, a U.S. 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. 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.

Two years ago, a MV-22 tilt-rotor aircraft Osprey crashed during a nighttime refueling exercise off the southern island of Okinawa, injuring two crew members.

More than 50,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Japan under a security pact. </s> (TOKYO) — The U.S. military has declared five missing crew members dead after their refueling plane collided with a fighter jet last week off Japan’s southern coast, and halted search and recovery operations.

The five crew members were on a KC-130 refueling aircraft that collided last Thursday with an F/A-18 Hornet during regularly scheduled training.

Two crew members in the F/A-18 were recovered after the accident, but one died. The U.S. Marines said the survivor was in stable condition when rescued.

It said in a statement that the identities of the five people declared dead will be released after their next of kin are notified.

The crew members were based at Iwakuni air station near Hiroshima. </s> Six missing after two US military planes crash off Japan

TOKYO: Six US marines were missing after two American military aircraft crashed on Thursday during a refuelling operation off the coast of Japan, said officials.

The two planes -- an F-18 fighter and a C-130 tanker -- were involved in a "mishap about 200 miles off of the coast of Japan around 2:00 am" according to a statement from the US Marines in Japan.

A US defense official told AFP there had been a crash after the plane took off from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in southern Japan.

A spokesman for Japan´s Self-Defense Forces said that one of the airmen had been rescued but the immediate fate of the remaining crew members was unclear.

The crew member was being assessed by doctors, the Marine statement said, adding that "the search and rescue operations continue for the remaining six."

The C-130 was thought to be carrying five servicemen and the F-18 two, said the Japanese official, who added that Japan had scrambled four aircraft and three ships in the search.

US media also reported five crew on the C-130 and two on the F-18.

"We are thankful for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force´s efforts as they immediately responded in the search and rescue operation," the Marines said.

The planes took off from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in southern Japan and were "conducting regularly scheduled training when the mishap occurred," the statement said.

The circumstances of the mishap are currently under investigation, the military added.

The US military has about 50,000 troops stationed in Japan and accidents are not uncommon.

In November, a US navy fighter jet crashed into the sea off Japan´s southern island of Okinawa and its two crew members were rescued alive.

The US military has also experienced difficulties with its Osprey helicopters, with several emergency landings, a deadly crash and a piece of the chopper falling on the grounds of a Japanese school.

Those incidents have stoked tensions between close military allies Washington and Tokyo and led to protests against the deployment of Ospreys by residents living near US bases. </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.
Five U.S. Marines who were missing after two aircraft collided mid-air off the coast of Japan on December 6 are declared dead.