Update Jan. 26, 2026, 4:02 p.m.
Chen said authorities have located the missing helicopter via mobile phone signals, but thick fog has so far prevented access to the site. Search-and-rescue operations will begin once weather conditions and volcanic gas levels permit.

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A helicopter carrying two Taiwanese tourists went missing around noon Tuesday near the peak of Mount Aso in Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture.

The helicopter took off from the Aso Cuddly Dominion zoo and lost contact near airspace over Mount Aso, per ETtoday. There were two Taiwanese passengers and one Japanese pilot on board.

Police and firefighters are conducting a search in the area near the Nakadake Crater. The passengers were identified as a 41-year-old man and a 36-year-old woman from Taiwan, while the pilot is a 64-year-old Japanese man, per Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun.

At about 11 a.m. Japan time, authorities received an alert from a passenger’s smartphone indicating it had experienced an impact, prompting a search. As of 3 p.m., the passengers had not yet been located.

Kumamoto Prefecture Gov. Takashi Kimura contacted Chen Ming-jun (陳銘俊), director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Fukuoka, to update him on the search, per CNA. He said the Japan Self-Defense Forces have been deployed to assist.

However, heavy fog at the summit has hampered access for police and rescue teams, though no significant volcanic activity has been observed. Kimura said the people of Kumamoto are deeply concerned about the safety of the Taiwanese travelers and will continue to monitor the situation.