Two Hongkongers were among three people injured in a helicopter crash in Japan over the weekend, the city’s immigration authorities said on Tuesday.
The Immigration Department said it was working with China’s consulate in Fukuoka to provide help to Hong Kong residents – a man and a woman.
According to Japanese media, the accident happened at around noon on Sunday when a sightseeing helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing in Kumamoto prefecture’s Aso City after experiencing a mid-flight engine failure.
Local authorities said the aircraft hit the ground hard, with all three people on board suffering serious injuries. The Hong Kong couple, both in their thirties, sustained hip and rib fractures, while their pilot, a man in his fifties, had a broken spine.
The aircraft also sustained damage to its landing gear and tail.
Japanese media said the helicopter had taken off from an airfield at local zoo Aso Cuddly Dominion.
The aircraft was returning from a flight over the Nakadake volcanic crater at Mount Aso when it crashed-landed on mountains about 50 metres (164 feet) away from a care facility for the elderly.
No one on the ground was injured.
Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism said the pilot had heard a strange noise coming from the aircraft’s rear section and noticed a quick drop in engine speed, prompting him to attempt an emergency landing.
Three accident investigators were dispatched to the scene on Monday to determine the cause of the crash, it added.
Hong Kong’s Immigration Department said on Tuesday it had received a request for help from the couple, and had got in touch through China’s consulate in Fukuoka.
It reminded residents travelling abroad that they could call city authorities using the (852) 1868 hotline, or with the same number on WhatsApp. An online assistance request form is also available on the department’s website.
According to Aso Cuddly Dominion’s website, helicopter excursions are a main attraction at the zoo.
The company offers various helicopter trips around the local mountains, from a four-minute journey around the foot of Mount Aso to a 10-minute one that includes the grassy plains of Kusasenri and the Nakadake crater.
A 15-minute chartered trip is also available for up to three people for 50,000 Japanese yen (HK$2,496).
According to its website, the zoo does not accept advanced bookings, noting some flights may be cancelled in the event of adverse weather.