Five people were killed after a rescue helicopter crashed into a mountain in central Japan, Kyodo news agency reported on Sunday.
The helicopter for disaster prevention was on an operation to rescue a member of a nine-climber party on the mountain in Saitama, about 75 km (47 miles) northwest of Tokyo, when the incident occurred, the agency said.
Initially, there were seven people aboard the helicopter. The chopper crashed after leaving two rescue workers on the ground.
The helicopter went down on the mountain 3-4 kilometers southwest of the Karisaka tunnel on the national highway Route 140, according to the local government.
An investigation into the causes of the crash has been launched.
MOSCOW, July 25 (RIA Novosti)
