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The U.S. Seventh Fleet has confirmed that a U.S. Navy transport plane with 11 passengers has on Wednesday crashed in the Philippine Sea south of Japan.

Although eight passengers have been rescued and transferred to the USS Ronald Reagan, three passengers remain missing and unaccounted for.

"Search and rescue efforts for three personnel continue with U.S. Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) ships and aircraft on scene," the U.S. Seventh Fleet said in a news release.

"The incident will be investigated."

Meanwhile, Japanese Minister of Defence Itsunori Onodera informed journalists that the U.S. Navy had informed him about  the crash in the Philippine Sea and that it may have been a result of engine trouble.

According to News Agency Reuters, "The aircraft was conducting a routine transport flight carrying passengers and cargo from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni to the carrier, which was operating in the Philippine Sea as part of an exercise with Japanese forces".