Japanese sightseeing helicopter carrying 2 Taiwanese tourists crashes

Tokyo, Jan. 20 (CNA) Taiwan's representative office in Fukuoka, Japan has been notified of a helicopter crash involving two Taiwanese tourists and the Japanese pilot in the Mount Aso area of Kumamoto Prefecture, according to the office.

Kumamoto Governor Takashi Kimura informed the Fukuoka Branch of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office immediately after the accident occurred on Tuesday morning and has continued to update the office on search and rescue efforts, Director-General Bruce Chen (陳銘俊) said Tuesday afternoon.

Kumamoto police spotted what appeared to be helicopter wreckage from the air at about 4:10 p.m. local time on the northeastern slope of Mount Aso's Nakadake No. 1 crater, Japanese media reported.

Police later confirmed through the aircraft's tail number that the wreckage was the missing sightseeing helicopter, the reports said.

Rescue teams have been unable to access the site due to the area's rugged terrain, the reports said.

Chen said he was briefed by Kimura that although police, fire services, and the Self-Defense Forces have been mobilized, dense fog at the summit has prevented search and rescue teams from reaching the wreckage.

The sightseeing helicopter took off at around 10:50 a.m. local time from the Aso Cuddly Dominion in Aso City for a planned 10-minute flight, reportedly losing contact after 11 a.m., Japanese media cited local authorities as reporting.

According to the helicopter's operating agent, there were three people on board, including a Japanese male pilot in his 60s and two tourists from Taiwan, one male and one female, aged 41 and 36, respectively.