TOKYO, May 2 (Xinhua) -- A major part of the wreckage including the flight recorder of a crashed helicopter of Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) was hauled from the seabed in the southern prefecture of Okinawa on Tuesday, local media reported.
A salvage company brought the wreckage up from 106 meters below the surface near Miyakojima Island in Okinawa, Kyodo News reported, citing a government source.
The GSDF will analyze data stored on the recorder such as altitude and speed to investigate the cause of the accident, the report said.
Six bodies have been recovered from the crash site of the aircraft, including that of Lieutenant General Yuichi Sakamoto, commander of the GSDF's 8th Division in charge of the defense in southwestern Japan, it added.
On April 6, the chopper with 10 GSDF members onboard disappeared from radar in what's believed to be an aircraft accident at about 18 km northwest of an airport in Okinawa's Miyakojima Island. ■