Tokyo, Japan:

Seven crew members were missing Sunday after an apparent accident overnight involving two Japanese military helicopters off the coast, local media reported.

The helicopters appear to have crashed late Saturday during nighttime training off the Izu Islands in the Pacific Ocean, broadcaster NHK reported.

One person was rescued, the reports said.

Communication with one chopper was lost at 10:38 pm (1338 GMT) and around 25 minutes later authorities realised communication had also been lost with a second aicraft.

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