Chattogram, Bangladesh Global: A pilot was killed and co-pilot was injured after a trainer fighter jet of Bangladesh Air Force YAK-130 crashed into the Karnaphuli River in Patenga of Chattogram on Thursday morning.
The pilot was squadron leader of the Air Force Asim Jawad. The injured co-pilot is Wing Commander of the Air Force Sohan.
Shakila Sultana, deputy commissioner (port) of the Chattogram Metropolitan Police, said the pilot and the co-pilot ejected safely via parachute and fell into the water and were rescued by local boats.
They were taken to the BNS Issa Khan Hospital, where Asim Jawad succumbed to his injuries at around 12:30pm, she added.
According to sources, the aircraft was seen flying over the Patenga Navy Boat Club and then it caught fire. It then broke into pieces and scattered as it crashed into the Karnaphuli River behind the boat club at around 10:30am due to a mechanical fault, according to the Inter Services Public Relations.
Members of the Fire Service and Civil Defence, Bangladesh Navy, and Bangladesh Coast Guard are currently at the scene.
Jawad joined the Bangladesh Air Force Academy (BAFA) in 2010. He was commissioned as a pilot officer in 2011.
Co-pilot Wing Commander Sohan, who sustained injuries in the incident, is undergoing treatment at the hospital.
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