5 missing US Marines declared dead in warplanes crash off Japan

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.

The US 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.

On Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018, two American warplanes crashed into the Pacific Ocean off Japan's southwestern coast after a midair collision, and rescuers found one of the seven crew members in stable condition while searching for the others, officials said. (AP)

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.

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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.