Seven South Koreans were missing Friday after their helicopter took off from islets disputed with Japan and crashed into the sea moments later, Seoul officials said.

The aircraft had just picked an injured fisherman up from Dokdo, which is known as Takeshima in Japan when it went down on Thursday night.

The South's coast guard, members of the National Fire Agency and civilian boats were searching for survivors, while the defence ministry had also sent planes and divers to the area, a spokesman for the South's National Fire Agency told AFP.

The crashed chopper is a Eurocopter EC225, made by the European aerospace corporation Airbus.

The seven people on board were five rescuers, the fisherman and a civilian.

"The patient was on a fishing boat when he lost one of his fingers through an accident, and the crew took him to Dokdo and waited for the rescue helicopter there," the official said.

"The patient needed an immediate medical operation that could have only been done at facilities on the mainland."

Seoul has controlled the islets of Dokdo in the Sea of Japan, or East Sea, since 1945, when Tokyo's brutal colonial rule on the peninsula ended, while Tokyo still claims sovereignty over them.

Seven South Koreans were missing Friday after their helicopter took off from islets disputed with Japan and crashed into the sea moments later, Seoul officials said.

Seven South Koreans were missing Friday after their helicopter took off from islets disputed with Japan and crashed into the sea moments later, Seoul officials said. The aircraft had just picked an injured fisherman up from Dokdo, which is known as Takeshima in Japan when it went down on Thursday night. The South's coast guard, members of the National Fire Agency and civilian boats were searching for survivors, while the defence ministry had also sent planes and divers to the area, a spokesman for the South's National Fire Agency told AFP. The crashed chopper is a Eurocopter EC225, made by the European aerospace corporation Airbus. The seven people on board were five rescuers, the fisherman and a civilian. "The patient was on a fishing boat when he lost one of his fingers through an accident, and the crew took him to Dokdo and waited for the rescue helicopter there," the official said. "The patient needed an immediate medical operation that could have only been done at facilities on the mainland." Seoul has controlled the islets of Dokdo in the Sea of Japan, or East Sea, since 1945, when Tokyo's brutal colonial rule on the peninsula ended, while Tokyo still claims sovereignty over them.

Seven South Koreans missing after helicopter crash near disputed islets

Rescuers were scrambling on Tuesday to reach six people they feared were trapped after a bridge collapsed in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/taiwan-shuts-its-schools-and-markets-as-typhoon-mitag-approaches-252761">Taiwan</a>, smashing onto a group of fishing boats moored underneath.

Dramatic CCTV images captured the moment the 140-metre long single-arch bridge came crashing down in Nanfangao, on Taiwan's eastern coast.

In the images, the road gives way and tumbles down onto at least three fishing boats as a petrol tanker that was crossing also plunges into the water.

The National Fire Agency said they believed six people were unaccounted for and could be trapped in the boats underneath the collapsed structure.

"The rescue operation is ongoing," the agency said in a statement, adding at least twelve people were injured, including six Philippine and three Indonesian fishing workers as well as the Taiwanese driver of the petrol tanker.

"We hope to safely rescue all in the shortest time to minimize the damage," Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen told reporters.

The petrol tanker burst into flames at some point after it hit the water, sending a thick plume of black smoke into the air.

It is not clear what caused the bridge, which was built in 1998 and spanned a small fishing port, to collapse.

Taiwan was skirted by a typhoon on Monday night, which brought heavy rains and strong winds to parts of the east coast.

But at the time of the bridge collapse, the weather was fine.

Rescuers were scrambling on Tuesday to reach six people they feared were trapped after a bridge collapsed in Taiwan, smashing onto a group of fishing boats moored underneath.

Rescuers were scrambling on Tuesday to reach six people they feared were trapped after a bridge collapsed in Taiwan, smashing onto a group of fishing boats moored underneath. Dramatic CCTV images captured the moment the 140-metre long single-arch bridge came crashing down in Nanfangao, on Taiwan's eastern coast. In the images, the road gives way and tumbles down onto at least three fishing boats as a petrol tanker that was crossing also plunges into the water. The National Fire Agency said they believed six people were unaccounted for and could be trapped in the boats underneath the collapsed structure. "The rescue operation is ongoing," the agency said in a statement, adding at least twelve people were injured, including six Philippine and three Indonesian fishing workers as well as the Taiwanese driver of the petrol tanker. "We hope to safely rescue all in the shortest time to minimize the damage," Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen told reporters. The petrol tanker burst into flames at some point after it hit the water, sending a thick plume of black smoke into the air. It is not clear what caused the bridge, which was built in 1998 and spanned a small fishing port, to collapse. Taiwan was skirted by a typhoon on Monday night, which brought heavy rains and strong winds to parts of the east coast. But at the time of the bridge collapse, the weather was fine.

Rescuers fear six trapped after Taiwan bridge collapse

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Seven South Koreans missing after helicopter crash near disputed islets

Rescuers fear six trapped after Taiwan bridge collapse