US military plane carrying eight crashes off Japanese coast

A US military aircraft with eight servicemen on board has crashed off the coast of Japan.

Japanese officials said the CV-22 Osprey from Yokota air base in Tokyo, crashed off Yakushima Island on Wednesday, south of Japan's southernmost main island Kyushu.

Japanese broadcaster NHK said the Osprey was trying to land at Yakushima airport. It added that the plane was on fire.

A rescue mission has been deployed.

The Osprey is an aircraft that can function as a helicopter and a turboprop aircraft.

In August, another Osprey crashed in northern Australia during a military exercise for locally based troops, killing three US marines among the 23 on board.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on Twitter to get the latest alerts.