Vietnam's missing aircraft engine found

One of the engine from Vietnam's missing aircraft has been located in the depth of some 60 meters in waters off northern Vietnam's Hai Phong City, said search and rescue authorities on Thursday.

Last Thursday, a CASA aircraft of Vietnam with nine people on board lost contact while carrying out searching mission for the SU-30 jet and one missing pilot.

Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung, who also serves as chairman of the National Committee for Search and Rescue, was boarding a coastguard ship heading for the location, reported the e-Portal of Vietnamese government on Thursday.

Last Friday, debris of the CASA aircraft has been recovered while the nine people's whereabouts remain unknown.

Earlier last Tuesday, a Russian-made SU-30 fighter jet of Vietnam air forces with two pilots aboard disappeared from radar screen while carrying out a training mission offshore Vietnam's central Nghe An province, some 260 km south of capital Hanoi.

Nguyen Huu Cuong, one of the SU-30's pilots was rescued by local fishermen last Wednesday while the body of Tran Quang Khai, the other pilot of the fighter jet, was found on Friday.

The deputy prime minister urged relevant authorities to retrieve the aircraft engine, expand searching areas to locate other wreckage of the aircraft and find nine crew members of the CASA plane.

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. Endit