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Vietnamese Search Plane with 9 People Aboard Missing
Hanoi, Vietnam – While attempting to search a pilot from a crashed fighter jet, Vietnamese rescuers found pieces of evidences that are strongly believed to belong in a missing plane with 9 passengers in it, media reported Friday.
The Thanh Nien newspaper said the pieces were discovered near the area where the maritime patrol aircraft Casa 212 lost contact with command center, some 44 nautical miles (81 kilometers) southwest of Bach Long Vi island, off the coast of northern port city of Hai Phong.
Online newspaper VnExpress quoted Maj. Gen. Nguyen Quang Dam, maritime police commander, that the reason maybe due to bad weather for the crash. Dam explained that the crew asked for a lower altitude when facing bad weather and crashed.
Weather forecaster Nguyen Dinh Thuat was quoted by Thanh Nien that there was strong rain and wind during the time that the aircraft lost contact.
The nine people on board are among 1,500 personnel sent to search for the pilot, whose Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30 MK2 jet fighter crashed Tuesday on a training flight. One other pilot from the jet was rescued by a fishing boat Wednesday.
