搭乗員の氏名公表　死亡は副操縦士―不明７人捜索を継続・海自ヘリ事故

　東京・伊豆諸島の鳥島沖合で海上自衛隊の哨戒ヘリコプター「ＳＨ６０Ｋ」２機が墜落した事故で、海自は２３日、現場で収容され死亡が確認された隊員の身元を副操縦士の西畑友貴２等海尉と特定したと発表した。行方不明となっている７人の氏名も公表した。
　海自制服組トップの酒井良海上幕僚長は記者会見し、「極めて高い技量で訓練に取り組んでいた隊員の１人を失い、７人が不明という状況は痛恨の極みだ。引き続き全力で捜索救難活動に取り組む」と険しい表情で語った。
　海自によると、長崎県の大村航空基地所属の機体に搭乗していたのは、西畑２尉と機長の松田拓也３等海佐、航空士の福留崇文３等海曹と甲斐仁蔵海士長の４人。徳島県の小松島航空基地所属のもう１機には機長の板村一輝３佐、副操縦士の山下夏輝３尉、航空士の広田真海曹長と堂園優作２曹が搭乗していた。（2024/04/23-17:49）

The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force on Tuesday released the names of eight crew members aboard two MSDF patrol helicopters that crashed off a remote Tokyo island on Saturday during a nighttime exercise.
   The MSDF said it has identified a crew member whose body was recovered at the crash site as Cmdr. Yuki Nishihata, co-pilot of one of the two SH-60K helicopters.
   The MSDF also released the names of the seven other crew members who remain unaccounted for.
   "It is extremely regrettable that we lost one member and have seven other members missing who took part in the training with extremely high skills," Adm. Ryo Sakai, MSDF chief of staff, told a press conference. "We will continue to do our best in the search operations," he added.
   One helicopter belongs to the MSDF's Omura air base in the southwestern prefecture of Nagasaki and the other is based in the MSDF's Komatsushima air base in the western prefecture of Tokushima.