US and Japanese ships and aircraft were searching in the Philippine Sea on Thursday for three sailors missing since a US Navy aircraft crashed a day earlier, the AP reports. Eight people were rescued about 40 minutes after the crash of the C-2 Greyhound transport aircraft Wednesday afternoon, the Navy said. They were taken aboard the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier and were in good condition. The C-2A twin-propeller plane came down about 500 nautical miles southeast of Okinawa as it was bringing passengers and cargo from Japan to the aircraft carrier, the Navy said in a statement. The cause wasn't clear but the crash would be investigated, the Navy said.
The Reagan was participating in a joint exercise with Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force when the plane crashed. Japan's Defense Ministry said the crash site is about 90 miles northwest of Okinotorishima, a Japanese atoll. The aircraft carrier is leading the search and rescue efforts along with Japan's naval forces. The ships and aircraft had searched more than 320 nautical miles as of Thursday morning, the Navy said. The Navy said it had notified next of kin that the three sailors were "whereabouts unknown" but it would delay releasing their identities publicly for three days due to policy. President Trump said in a tweet: "We are monitoring the situation. Prayers for all involved."
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