The search continues for one of the two Vietnamese fighter jet pilots who went missing yesterday morning after their plane went down off the coast of Nghe An province.
According to Zing, a Russian-made Su-30 fighter jet disappeared from military radar at 7:29am yesterday morning. Lieutenant Colonel Tran Quang Khai and Major Nguyen Huu Cuong of Air Regiment 923, both experienced pilots, were aboard the aircraft.
Search teams managed to rescue Major Cuong today at 4:30am, however the whereabouts of Lieutenant Colonel Khai remain unknown. The pilot was picked up 60 miles off the coast of Thanh Hoa province, according to Thanh Nien. Major Cuong, who was found unharmed, told authorities that both he and Lieutenant Colonel Khai were able to eject from the plane before it crashed.
Military officials alerted the media of the plane's disappearance yesterday morning, saying the fighter jet departed from Sao Vang Airport in Thanh Hoa province before flying south. Air traffic control lost contact with the aircraft during a training exercise east of Nghe An province, according to Major General Do Minh Tuan, Deputy Commander of Vietnam's Air Force.
Helicopters were immediately mobilized to search the seas near Ha Tinh and Nghe An provinces. Six ships were also deployed to Hon Mat Island and the surrounding area. By 11am, additional support from the provincial military command, border guards, marine police and fishery control had joined the search.
According to Zing, fishermen in the area reported seeing a falling plane earlier in the day. Around 3:45pm yesterday afternoon, border guards also reported oil streaks on the water roughly 18-19 kilometers from Hon Mat Island.
By 6pm, search teams had pinpointed the exact location of the plane, reports VnExpress. Major Cuong was picked up by a fishing boat in the early hours of this morning, however the search continues for Lieutenant Colonel Khai.
[Photo via VietTimes]
