S. Korean helicopter crashes in waters off disputed islets

A South Korean helicopter crashed in waters off islets of Dokdo, called Takeshima in Japan, leaving seven people on board missing, Yonhap news agency reported on Friday.

The EC-225 Super Puma helicopter, according to the country's firefighting agency, fell into the waters hundreds of meters off the Dokdo islets just a few minutes after having taken off from the islets at about 11:26pm local time on Thursday.

The chopper was carrying seven South Koreans, including an injured sailor, his friend, and five rescue officials.

About 14 hours after search operations, the crashed chopper was located 600 meters south of the islets. Near the chopper was one body found. The body's identification had yet to be confirmed.

The coast guards, the navy and the firefighting agency dispatched 14 vessels and 10 aircraft for search and rescue operations.

Right after the accident was reported, Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon gave an emergency order to mobilize all available ships near the sea for rescue and search operations.

President Moon Jae-in ordered an overall inspection of the crashed helicopter model for safety checkup.