Eight people have been found alive and are in “good condition” after a U.S. Navy plane with 11 aboard crashed into the sea off Japan on Wednesday, the military said.
The search and rescue for three other personnel continues, the Navy said.
“Our entire focus is on finding all of our sailors,” Rear Adm. Marc H. Dalton said in a statement, adding that the Navy “will be relentless in our efforts.”
The aircraft is believed to have crashed around 500 nautical miles southeast of Okinawa Island at about 2:45 p.m. local time (12:45 a.m. ET) while on the way to the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier.
Eight of the 11 Navy personnel were rescued some 45 minutes later before being transferred to the ship for medical evaluation. The aircraft carrier, which is in the Philippine Sea, is part of the Japan-based 7th Fleet.
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