A sightseeing helicopter carrying three people has gone missing near Mount Aso, one of Japan's most active volcanoes.
The aircraft took off from a zoo in Aso City at 10:52 local time (01:52 GMT) on Tuesday for a 10-minute tour but never returned, local reports say, quoting police.
An object resembling an aircraft was spotted by a police helicopter inside the crater of Nakadake, one of Mount Aso's five peaks, at around 16:00. Authorities have yet to confirm if it is the missing helicopter.
The helicopter's 64-year-old pilot was a veteran with 40 years of experience, according to local media. His passengers were a man and a woman, both Taiwanese.
The aircraft, a US-made Robinson R44, was on its third sightseeing trip for the day when it went missing. There was no issue with its two earlier journeys, according to the helicopter's operator Takumi Enterprise.
