17 June 2016

News Story: Airplane with 9 aboard missing in rescue mission in Vietnam - official

HANOI, June 16 (Xinhua) -- A CASA aircraft with nine people aboard lost contact early on Thursday afternoon while carrying out rescue mission in waters off northern Hai Phong city in Vietnam, an official from the National Committee for Search and Rescue told Xinhua on phone.

The number of nine people aboard has been confirmed by the committee, instead of the previous report of eight people.

The aircraft was carrying out searching mission for the SU-30 fighter jet which went missing Tuesday morning.

The CASA aircraft lost contact when it was flying over Bach Long Vi water area in Hai Phong (some 90 km east of capital Hanoi), the source told Xinhua, adding that searching work is underway.

Earlier on Tuesday morning, a Russian-made SU-30 fighter jet of Vietnam air forces with two pilots aboard disappeared from radar screen while carrying out a training mission offshore Vietnam's central Nghe An province, some 260 km south of capital Hanoi.

Read the full story at Xinhua