US fighter dumps tanks over lake in Aomori after engine fire

February 20, 2018

Tokyo- A US F-16 fighter released what are believed to be two fuel tanks over a lake in Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, following an engine fire on Tuesday, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry.

The tanks fell into Lake Ogawara in the town of Tohoku, where several freshwater clam-fishing boats were operating, according to a local fishermen's cooperative. A fisherman saw a column of water arising after an object fell into the lake, the cooperative said.

There has been no report of injury, while ministry officials spotted oil and apparent parts of the tanks on the lake surface.

The engine of the F-16 fighter caught fire at around 8:40 a.m. (11:40 p.m. Monday GMT) soon after leaving the U.S. Air Force's Misawa Air Base in the prefecture.

No flames were seen on the fighter when it returned to the base after dumping the tanks, according to the ministry, which has been briefed on the incident by the US military. The runway was closed temporarily.

Civil airlines and the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force, which share the airfield, were not affected by the temporary closure.

"We plan to seek explanations from the US side and demand measures to prevent similar incidents," Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera told a press conference in Tokyo. Jiji Press