A South Korean fire department helicopter carrying seven people crashed into the sea off the islands disputed with Japan on late Thursday (Oct 31), a fire department official said on Friday (Nov 1).

The islets, which both South Korea and Japan claim as their territory, are called Dokdo in Korean and Takeshima in Japanese.

The South Korean coast guard and private boats are searching the area for survivors while the Defense Ministry has also sent vessels, planes and pers to help with the rescue, Yonhap news agency said.

The helicopter, which was carrying a patient to a hospital on the South Korean mainland, crashed shortly after takeoff from Dokdo, an official at Gyeongbuk Fire Service Headquarters said.

"We presume that the helicopter crashed into sea within two minutes after liftoff (in Dokdo)," rescue official Seong Ho-seon said during a televised briefing. He said the helicopter was planning to transport the injured fisherman to a hospital in the mainland city of Daegu.

According to 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."

VNF/Reuters/AFP