A Japanese military training aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff and is believed to have fallen into a lake, authorities reported on Wednesday.
“We have received confirmation that a T-4 aircraft belonging to the Air Self-Defense Force crashed immediately after departing from Komaki Air Base,” located in central Japan, stated government spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi.
The T-4 plane, which is solely used for pilot training, was reportedly flying north of Nagoya, according to various media outlets, including the public broadcaster NHK.
“There has been no sign of the aircraft so far. However, we were informed that an aerial survey by a helicopter detected an area where oil was floating on the lake’s surface,” said local fire department official Hajime Nakamura.
Aerial footage of the lake broadcast by NHK shows an oil slick on the water, accompanied by debris.
Shortly after 3:00 PM (06:00 GMT), firefighters received a report indicating that a plane appeared to have crashed into the lake.
