A tourist helicopter in Japan went missing near Mount Aso volcano with three people onboard, including crew and passengers. Later, mysterious debris was found near the volcano crater, but it has not been confirmed whether it is from the missing helicopter.
Foreign news agencies reported that a tourist helicopter disappeared just before noon local time on Tuesday, 20 Jan 2026 GMT+7, near the crater of Mount Aso volcano in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan. Subsequently, debris appearing to be part of the helicopter fuselage was found inside the volcano crater area.
Onboard the helicopter were two Taiwanese passengers and a 64-year-old Japanese pilot with over 40 years of flying experience. The aircraft departed from Aso Cuddly Dominion zoo in Aso city at 10:52 a.m. local time for a volcano sightseeing tour, which is one of the services offered by the zoo.
Takumi Enterprise, the operator of the helicopter involved, stated that the helicopter was on its third sightseeing flight of the day but lost contact about 10 minutes after takeoff. There had been no reports of any abnormalities during the first two flights.
The fate of the three people onboard remains unknown. The local government has contacted Taiwanese organizations in Fukuoka city, as the two passengers are believed to be tourists.
Fire department officials said that shortly after 4:00 p.m. local time, an object resembling a helicopter fuselage was found on a steep slope within the Nakadake crater, one of the five peaks comprising Mount Aso. However, it has not been confirmed that this is the missing helicopter.
The nearby Aso Volcano Museum told the media that weather conditions over the area on the morning of 20 Jan 2026 GMT+7 were cloudy, which reduced visibility of Nakadake peak.
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Source:straitstimes