Five feared dead in Japanese police copter crash
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-05-03 17:15

A Japanese police helicopter carrying five crew members crashed on Tuesday near a park in central Japan, officials said.

The helicopter carrying five prefectural (state) policemen went down near a park in Shizuoka, 150 kilometers (95 miles) west of Tokyo, while monitoring traffic during Japan's "golden week" holidays, said police spokesman Hidemi Ito.

The five men were taken to a nearby hospital, but their conditions were not immediately known, Ito said. Kyodo News said they were believed dead.

Nobody on the ground was injured, but the helicopter grazed the roof of an apartment as it careened to the ground, Ito said.

Japan's public broadcaster NHK showed video of shattered parts of the helicopter spread on the road and in a nearby river.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known, Ito said.

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