Tourist helicopter wreckage found near Mount Aso crater after disappearance, Japan
A sightseeing helicopter carrying two Taiwanese tourists and a Japanese pilot was found wrecked near the crater of Mount Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on January 20, 2026, after disappearing during a short flight earlier the same day. Rescue operations have been severely hampered by dense volcanic gas emissions and poor visibility around the active crater.


