Kumamoto Helicopter Incident: Search Underway for Missing Tourists

Japan's Ministry of Defence said: "Today (the 20th), around midday, a distress signal was received from a private small helicopter at Mount Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture. "As a result, at 1229 today, the Director of the Tokyo Airport Office requested the Commander of the Western Air Defense Force (Kasuga) of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force to dispatch for the search and rescue of the occupants. "In response, the Ashiya Air Rescue Squadron and Nyutabaru Air Rescue Squadron of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force have commenced search and rescue operations from the air using U-125 and UH-60 aircraft. We will coordinate with relevant organizations and respond with full effort." The helicopter went missing at around midday today near the peak of Mount Aso in Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture. It had taken off from the Aso Cuddly Dominion zoo and lost contact near airspace over Mount Aso, reports ETtoday. At around 11am local time, authorities received an alert from a passenger's smartphone, indicating that it had sustained impact.