Three bodies have been found in a volcanic crater on Japan’s Mount Aso, a month after a sightseeing helicopter crashed near the area, authorities confirmed on Thursday. The local fire department said the remains belong to the three people on board the helicopter that went down on 20 January in the Kumamoto Prefecture on Kyushu island.
The victims include a Japanese pilot in his 60s, a man in his 40s, and a woman in her 30s, the latter two believed to be Taiwanese nationals. The aircraft, operated by Aso Cuddly Dominion, a zoo and theme park, had taken off for a 10-minute scenic flight over the volcano’s craters before disappearing.
Wreckage was spotted inside the Nakadake crater, one of Mount Aso’s five peaks, but rescuers had been unable to reach the site due to strong winds, limited visibility, and high concentrations of volcanic gas. Fire officials reported an emergency alert triggered by a passenger’s smartphone at 11.04 am local time on the day of the crash, and GPS signals from the aircraft stopped near the crater.
Mount Aso, a popular tourist destination within Aso-Kuju National Park, attracted around 1.18 million foreign visitors in 2024, making it Japan’s second most-visited national park. The Japan Meteorological Agency currently lists the volcano’s eruption alert level at 1, indicating low activity, though it last erupted in October 2021. Aerial flights are generally permitted under stable weather conditions.
