Five U.S. Marines missing after their aircraft collided last week over the ocean off Kochi Prefecture were declared dead Tuesday, the Marine Corps said in a statement announcing the end of its search and rescue operations.
"After an update from the Joint Personnel Recovery Center, and a review of all available information, I have made the determination to end the search and rescue operations for the crew of our KC-130J aircraft which was involved in a mishap off the southern coast of Japan and to declare that these Marine warriors are deceased," Lt. Gen. Eric Smith, the III Marine Expeditionary Force's commanding general, said in the statement.
Smith said the KC-130's flight data and cockpit voice recorders had not been located, "making it premature to speculate about wreckage recovery."