Three people were injured on Monday after a sightseeing helicopter to Mount Aso, an active volcano in Japan, needed to make an emergency landing due to an engine failure mid-flight.

A Japanese pilot and two Hong Kong tourists were on tour to the Aso Nakadake Crater in Kumamoto prefecture, when the incident occurred at noon during its return to base.

The helicopter's engine failed and an emergency landing was made on a grassy field near the mountainous area, where all three were sent conscious to hospital for treatment.

The Immigration Department has followed up on the case with the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Consulate in Fukuoka to provide assistance.