Helicopter missing near Japan’s active Mount Aso, search ongoing

A sightseeing helicopter carrying three people went missing near Mount Aso, one of Japan's most active volcanoes.

According to local police, the helicopter took off on Tuesday at 10:52 a.m. local time from a zoo in Aso city for a 10-minute tour but did not return. Around 4:00 p.m., a police helicopter spotted an object resembling an aircraft inside Nakadake crater, one of Mount Aso's five peaks. Authorities have not yet confirmed whether the object is the missing helicopter.

SEARCH OPERATIONS CONTINUE

Local media reported the pilot was a 64-year-old senior with 40 years of experience, and the passengers were two Taiwanese tourists, one male and one female. The U.S.-made Robinson R44 helicopter was on its third tour of the day when it went missing. The operator, Takumi Enterprise, said the first two flights of the day had no issues. Cloudy weather was reported in the area, and searches resumed Wednesday morning after being suspended in the evening.

OPERATOR HALTS FLIGHTS

Following the incident, Takumi Enterprise suspended all helicopter tours, a major tourist attraction over the volcanic scenery of Mount Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture. In 2024, another helicopter from the same company made an emergency landing over Mount Aso, injuring three people. Mount Aso last erupted in October 2021, sending a massive smoke plume into the sky.