Navy recovers crashed Air Force jet in 10-hour operation
The Bangladesh Navy has recovered the remnants of the Air Force YAK 130 jet which crashed yesterday (9 May).
It took about 10 hours to recover the plane as strong current and boat movement made it difficult to carry out the operation, said Abdur Rauf, captain of the Navy rescue team.
He also said the wreckage of the crashed aircraft will be handed over to the Air Force soon.
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A team of the Navy started the rescue work around 12:00pm after the aircraft crashed due to a mechanical fault around 10:30am yesterday and sank in the Karnaphuli river near Chattogram Boat Club. Later Navy rescue ship Bolban joined them.
A special "Sonar System" was used to locate the aircraft. The spot where the plane was believed to have gone down was marked with a red balloon, which later divers searched for.
Yesterday evening, the Navy's diving team located the shipwreck at the bottom of the Karnaphuli river. Later, shortly before 10pm, the plane was pulled from the river with the help of the rescue ship's crane.
Earlier, moments before the plane crashed and plunged into the river, the two pilots in the plane managed to escape with the help of parachutes, but one pilot, Squadron Leader Asim Jawad, was seriously injured. He died around 12:30pm while undergoing treatment at BNS Patenga Hospital (BNS Isa Khan), confirmed Shakila Sultana, deputy commissioner of Port Zone of Chattogram Metropolitan Police.
Asim's Namaz e Janaza was held around 9:30pm yesterday (9 May) in Patenga, Chattogram.
Shakila Sultana also said Wing Commander Md Suhan Hasan Khan, who was also injured in the accident, is undergoing treatment in the same hospital.
