TOKYO, May 27 (UPI) -- A U.S. F-15 jet went down off Okinawa Tuesday but there were no casualties as the pilot ejected safely and was rescued, Japanese and U.S. officials said.
The Kadena Air Base in Okinawa said on its website the F-15 from the base "developed a problem that ultimately resulted in the pilot ejecting from the aircraft over the Pacific Ocean approximately 70 miles east of Okinawa at around 9 a.m. today." The report said the pilot had been in contact with rescue teams.
Stars and Stripes, quoting the Japanese coast guard and the U.S. Air Force, reported a Japanese military search team rescued the pilot about an hour after the incident. The condition of the pilot or the cause of the crash could not be immediately confirmed, the report said.
U.S. military officials had not yet identified the pilot.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Sega said his government received the information just after the incident, Kyodo News reported.
"There was no human suffering. I heard the jet was in a training area (when the accident occurred). We are now gathering more information," Sega told reporters.
