Three missing after US Navy plane crash

Eight people were rescued and three remained missing last night after a United States Navy plane crashed in the western Pacific Ocean .

The C-2 Greyhound transport aircraft came down about 500 nautical miles south-east of Okinawa as it was bringing passengers and cargo from Japan to the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier, the US Navy said.

The Reagan was in the Philippine Sea during a joint exercise with Japan’s maritime self-defence force when the twinpropeller plane crashed.

The cause of the crash was not immediately clear and the incident will be investigated, the US Navy said.

Eight people were rescued about 40 minutes later. They were taken to the Reagan for medical evaluation.