South Korean military helicopter crashes into sea

Seoul: A South Korean military helicopter crashed into the Sea of Japan during an ongoing joint manoeuvre between Seoul and Washington, defence officials said on Tuesday.

The South Korean Armed Force's Lynx helicopter, carrying two lieutenants and one sergeant, hit the sea on Monday night near South Korea's maritime border with North Korea.

Having only found the pilot's helmet and a door of the aircraft in the water, the rescue services were still looking for the missing officers without much hope of finding them alive, a spokesman of the Ministry of Defence told EFE news.

The incident took place under weather conditions that meet the military manoeuvre standards, and the cause of the accident are currently under investigation.

The pilot had sent four distress signals before the helicopter hit the sea, according to the Defence Ministry.