US military aircraft crashes into sea near Japan, killing at least 1

Japanese officials said on Wednesday that a crew member, who was recovered from the ocean after a U.S. military Osprey aircraft carrying six people crashed, has been pronounced dead.

Japanese coast guard officials said the cause of the crash and the status of the others on board were not immediately known, but that search and rescue operations were underway.

The Osprey is a tiltrotor aircraft that can function as both a helicopter and a turboprop aircraft. U.S. and Japanese officials say the aircraft belonged to Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo.

U.S. Air Force officials at Yokota said they are still confirming information and have no immediate comment.