The navy's HQ211 is among the vehicles joining in the search (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has offered sympathies to relatives of the officers and soldiers who went missing in the recent accidents of a jet fighter and a rescue aircraft.
In the latest official order, the Government leader also encouraged search and rescue forces to weather difficulties to perform their duties.
He continued to urge for all forces, including the Air Defence – Air Force Service, the navy, coast guards, border guards and fisheries resources surveillance, to be deployed to search for the missing people and the aircraft.
The authorities of the coastal provinces from Quang Ninh to Ha Tinh have to work with the national committee for search and rescue and relevant sides to call for the fishermen’s participation in the search.
He also asked for drastic efforts to be taken by the Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Information and Communications to find the missing people soon.
The Su30 MK2 aircraft with two pilots went missing at 6:50 am of June 14 during a training session in the area of Hon Mat Island, about 40km off the coast of the central province of Nghe An’s Vinh city. One pilot has been rescued by fishing boats and brought ashore safely.
On June 16, the CASA 212 with nine crewmembers on board was dispatched after rescue units received a help signal believed to be from Senior Lieutenant Colonel Tran Quang Khai, who is the remaining missing pilot on the Su30 MK2 plane.
After passing Bach Long Vy island district in the Tonkin Gulf by 44 nautical miles, the plane asked for permission to descend but contact was then cut.
Several pieces of debris and objects were found 20 nautical miles south-southeast of Bach Long Vy island and three nautical miles to the delimitation line on the Tonkin Gulf. They have been determined as belonging to the CASA 212.-VNA
