HANOI, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam on Friday confirmed that SU-30 fighter jet and CASA aircraft crashed in waters off the country's central and northern coasts.
One of the two pilots on the former and all nine crew members of the latter were killed during the two accidents, said a statement issued on Friday by the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Ministry of Defense, on initial result of the search and rescue for the SU-30 fighter and CASA aircraft.
Specifically, last Tuesday, while going on training mission, a SU-30 fighter of Vietnam's air defense-air force crashed in waters off central Nghe An province.
Two pilots on board, namely Tran Quang Khai and Nguyen Huu Cuong, dropped out of the fighter by parachuting. Last Wednesday, Cuong was rescued by local fishermen while Khai's body was found last Friday.
Last Thursday, while carrying out searching mission for the SU-30 jet and Tran Quang Khai in waters off northern Vietnam, the CASA aircraft with nine people aboard crashed as flying over Vietnam's northern Hai Phong City's Bach Long Vi island.
At the searching area, in waters with depth of 50-60 meters, numerous parts of the aircraft were recovered, including propeller, fuselage, engine, personal belongings of crew members as well as several bodies.
Assessment of military forensic agencies confirmed that those bodies are crew members of CASA aircraft, said the statement.
In the coming time, the search for bodies of remaining crew members, recovery of the rest parts of the fighter and the aircraft will continue while absolute safety for the rescue forces will be ensured, Vietnam's state-run news agency VNA quoted the statement as saying.
Concerning Chinese help in the search and rescue mission, Vo Van Tuan, Deputy chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army said at a press meeting held in capital Hanoi on Friday, "China, a Vietnam's neighbor, was active in providing information and allowed Vietnamese vessels to cross over to the Chinese side of the demarcation line in the Beibu Gulf for search and rescue."
"When the MH370 airplane with most Chinese passengers on board got lost, Vietnam had deployed such large search forces. Le Kiem Toan, one pilot on the CASA aircraft, used to carry out many flights to search for MH370," Tuan recalled.
"While learning that Toan was missing, the Chinese side was so much willing to support," local VNExpress online newspaper quoted Tuan as saying.
China has sent several warships, coastguard vessels and rescue ships to help Vietnam search for the missing aircraft and crew between Vietnam's northern coastline and China's Hainan Island, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
