Search under way after US military planes collide off Japan

WASHINGTON – A search is under way for crew members from two Marine Corps planes involved in what the military called a “mishap” off the coast of Japan.

The Marine Corps says the incident involved an F/A-18 jet and a refuelling plane that had taken off from a base on Okinawa for a regularly scheduled training mission.

A brief statement issued Wednesday by the Marines does not provide details of the incident or say how many crew members were on board the planes.

It says the Japanese search and rescue aircraft immediately responded to aid in recovery efforts and says the circumstances of the incident are under investigation.