TOKYO: The US military said on Tuesday that five missing crew members have been declared dead after their refuelling plane collided with a fighter jet last week off Japan’s southern coast, and that search and recovery operations have ended after finding only one survivor.

The five were on a KC-130 Hercules refuelling aircraft that collided last Thursday with an F/A-18 Hornet during regular training. The warplanes crashed into the sea south of Japan’s Shikoku island.

Two crew members in the F/A-18 were recovered after the accident, but one died. The US Marines said the survivor was in stable condition when rescued.

The search, joined by Japanese and Australian forces, was halted on Tuesday, and the cause of the crash is still under investigation, the Marines said in a statement.

It said the identities of the five people declared dead will be released after their next of kin are notified.

The Marines earlier identified the dead pilot of the F/A-18 as Capt. Jahmar Resilard, 28, of Miramar, Florida.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a message of condolences to US President Donald Trump, while praying for a speedy recovery of the injured. Abe thanked American troops for their dedication and vowed to cooperate with Trump to further strengthen their alliance to promote regional peace and stability.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2018