International

A US Navy aircraft with 11 people on board has crashed into the Philippine Sea off Japan.

The military plane fell into the sea south-east of Okinawa on its way to the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.

The Japan-based 7th Fleet said in a statement on Wednesday morning that a search and rescue operation had been launched from the carrier.

It said the ship was operating in the Philippine Sea when the crash happened at 2.45pm Japan time (5.45am GMT).

The cause of the crash is not yet known known and the names those onboard were being withheld while next of kin were notified.