Pilots of missing Myanmar military jet confirmed dead

The remnants of Capt. Thaw Zin Soe’s watch found among the wreckage. Photo: Facebook / Office of the Commander-in-Chief
The remnants of Capt. Thaw Zin Soe’s watch found among the wreckage. Photo: Facebook / Office of the Commander-in-Chief

Two pilots aboard a military training jet that went missing on September 5 were confirmed dead by the Tatmadaw medical team last week after parts of the wreckage were discovered in southern Rakhine State.

The body of Maj. Kaung Htike was found by a search and rescue team near the wreckage. The body of co-pilot Capt. Thaw Zin Soe was not found, but some of his belongings were among the debris.

A statement from the Office of the Commander-in-Chief today said the pilots’ seats were found with parachutes attached, and there were also two survival kits at the scene of the crash.

“Though the body of Capt. Thaw Zin Soe was not found, his personal belongings, including his watch, were found. So the medical team confirmed the death of both pilots,” a senior military officer who participated in search and rescue operation told The Irrawaddy.

“A military funeral will be held for Maj. Kaung Htike at the scene, and we’ll take back the ashes,” he added.

The debris from the G-4 jet were found 12 miles south of Gwa, which is located five miles north of the jet’s last known location.

The plane went missing during a training mission that began in Pathein. It was meant to fly to Hinthada, then Gwa, before returning to Pathein, but the plane lost contact with Pathein Airport when it was 36 miles west of Pathein.

Maj. Kaung Htike had been flying the same plane for the last three years to train new pilots.

The Myanmar Air Force is believed to have five other Yugoslav-made Soko G-4 jets in service.

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