The Japanese navy is continuing its search for seven crew in the Pacific Ocean after the apparent crash of two helicopters on Saturday night, which killed at least one crewman.

Rescuers have so far recovered the body of one man, as well as black boxes and debris, but are yet to find the others.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida mourned the tragedy in parliament on Monday.

“It is of utmost regret that we lost our personnel as they engaged in very tough, late-night training,” he said.

It’s still unclear what exactly caused the crash, which took place near the Izu Islands, which lie not far from the mainland, about 600km (372 miles) south of Tokyo.

Flight recorders retrieved from both aircraft had not revealed technical problems, Japan’s Defence Minister Minoru Kihara said.

“Firstly we do our best to save lives,” Mr Kihara said on Sunday, adding the helicopters had been “doing drills to counter submarines at night”.

The two helicopters were both carrying four crew during the drills on Saturday night.

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