An F-4EJ fighter of the Air Self-Defense Force crashed into the sea off Okinawa Prefecture during combat exercises Monday, injuring the two crew members, ASDF officials said.

The accident occurred at about 12:40 p.m. Monday, about 20 minutes after the Phantom and another fighter left the ASDF base at Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, to begin drills about 160 km north of the base. The two crew members managed to bail out with the help of parachutes before being rescued an hour later. They sustained slight injuries.