An air ambulance that went missing on Sunday off western Japan's Nagasaki Prefecture has been found floating in the sea. All six people who were on board the helicopter have been accounted for. Authorities have confirmed that three are alive and three are dead.
The Japan Coast Guard says it received a report on Sunday afternoon that a helicopter lost contact after it left an airport on Tsushima Island heading to a hospital in Fukuoka Prefecture.
Crewmembers on a ship that was searching the sea found the craft floating in the water, and they rescued three people.
A couple hours later, crewmembers aboard an Air Self-Defense Force helicopter recovered the remaining three.
The Coast Guard says it has confirmed that a pilot, a mechanic and a nurse are alive and conscious.
It notes a doctor, a female patient and a family member of hers were showing no vital signs when they were found. The hospital reports that the three were later confirmed dead.
The medical institution had reportedly requested the services of the air ambulance. It says contact with the craft was lost about 10 minutes after it departed.
The Coast Guard is investigating the accident.
Two investigators from the Japan Transport Safety Board will reportedly begin looking into the matter on Monday.
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