US Navy plane crashes: Eight rescued after aircraft carrying 11 falls into sea off Japan

A US Navy aircraft with 11 people on board has crashed into the Philippine Sea off Japan.

The military plane fell into the sea south-east of Okinawa on its way to the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.

The government in Tokyo said it had been told that eight people had been plucked to safety and that US authorities had said engine trouble was the suspected cause of the accident. The search is continuing for three others.

"Personnel recovery is under way and their condition will be evaluated by USS Ronald Reagan medical staff," a US Navy statement said.

The ship was operating in the Philippine Sea when the crash happened at 2.45pm Japan time (5.45am GMT).

 ^{The aircraft crashed south-east of the Japanese island of Okinawa}

The US Navy said in a statement:  "A United States Navy aircraft carrying 11 crew and passengers crashed into the ocean southeast of Okinawa."

In August, the US Navy lost 10 personnel when the USS John McCain collided with a tanker off Singapore.

Two months earlier, the USS Fitzgerald and a cargo ship crashed into each other off Japan, leaving seven sailors dead.