Okinawa Environmental Justice Project
photo:Okinawa Times
October 11
Yanbaru Forest in Danger: US Military Helicopter on Fire near World Natural Heritage Nominated Area
In just a few days, members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) will conduct a much-anticipated field mission in the Yanbaru forest in northern Okinawa Island as part of the UNESCO/IUCN's evaluation process for the forest's bid for World Natural Heritage status.
Guess what has just happened in the Takae district of Hiagashi village, near the World Heritage nominated area?
Around 17:30 on October 11, a U.S. military CH 53 helicopter made an emergency landing and caught fire in an open land in Takae. As of 20:00, the fire and smoke are flaring in the darkness of the night. See this NHK site (Japanese). Also see this New York Times site.
t is not clear whether the helicopter was either coming back from or was going to the U.S. military's Northern Training Area (NTA) when it made its emergency landing. NTA is located just next to the World Natural Heritage nominated area.
I have no information on the status of the crew who were on the CH 53 aircraft. I hope they evacuated safely in time. I have no information on the extent of the damage the accident has caused on the area.
Luckily, no one in Takae was hurt, a friend in Takae told me on the phone.
This brings me to what I originally planned to upload on this blog today: Our factsheets "A World Natural Heritage Site next to U.S. Military's Training Area?: The Case of Northern Part of Okinawa Island, Japan." I have submitted them to the members of the IUCN field mission.
The factsheets warned and predicted this unfortunate helicopter crash.
H.Y.
read more
photo:Okinawa Times
October 11
Yanbaru Forest in Danger: US Military Helicopter on Fire near World Natural Heritage Nominated Area
In just a few days, members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) will conduct a much-anticipated field mission in the Yanbaru forest in northern Okinawa Island as part of the UNESCO/IUCN's evaluation process for the forest's bid for World Natural Heritage status.
Guess what has just happened in the Takae district of Hiagashi village, near the World Heritage nominated area?
Around 17:30 on October 11, a U.S. military CH 53 helicopter made an emergency landing and caught fire in an open land in Takae. As of 20:00, the fire and smoke are flaring in the darkness of the night. See this NHK site (Japanese). Also see this New York Times site.
t is not clear whether the helicopter was either coming back from or was going to the U.S. military's Northern Training Area (NTA) when it made its emergency landing. NTA is located just next to the World Natural Heritage nominated area.
I have no information on the status of the crew who were on the CH 53 aircraft. I hope they evacuated safely in time. I have no information on the extent of the damage the accident has caused on the area.
Luckily, no one in Takae was hurt, a friend in Takae told me on the phone.
This brings me to what I originally planned to upload on this blog today: Our factsheets "A World Natural Heritage Site next to U.S. Military's Training Area?: The Case of Northern Part of Okinawa Island, Japan." I have submitted them to the members of the IUCN field mission.
The factsheets warned and predicted this unfortunate helicopter crash.
H.Y.
read more