Tourist helicopter in Japan disappears near volcano
A tourist helicopter taking tourists on a sightseeing tour has gone missing near one of the most active volcanoes in Japan. The helicopter was carrying three people, having taken off at a zoo in Aso City for a 10-minute tour, but local media quoting police reported that it never returned.
An object that resembles and aircraft was seen by a police helicopter inside the crater of Nakadake, one of the five peaks of Mount Aso but authorities have not confirmed whether it is the missing tourist helicopter.
Its 64-year-old pilot had over 40 years of experience, local media reported, with his passengers being a man and a woman from Taiwan.
The aircraft was an American Robinson R44 and had been on its third sightseeing trip for the day when it vanished. There had been no issue with the other journeys earlier in the day, its operator Takumi Enterprise said.
The area reported cloudy weather and search operations were suspended before resuming the next morning. The company grounded all of its helicopters after the incident, Jiji news agency reported.
Tourist helicopter tours around Mount Aso are some of the region’s most popular attractions. In 2024, another sightseeing flight had to make an emergency landing, resulting in the three on board being injured.
The volcano last erupted in October 2021, releasing a massive plume of smoke into the sky.
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