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Two pilots of missing Malaysian military aircraft found dead

15 June 2017 12:23 (UTC +04:00)

The two pilots flying the Malaysian air force Hawk 108 training aircraft, which was reportedly missing earlier, have been found dead in a forest swamp, the Malaysian air force commander Affendi bin Buang said at a press conference on Thursday, Xinhua reported.

The two pilots, aged 31 and 39 respectively, were found in the state of wearing their parachute, but the cause of death were yet to be determined, according to a report from Bernama news agency. The wreckage of the missing plane, a two-seat trainer jet, is also yet to be found.

The plane took off from an airbase in Kuantan at 11:00 a.m. local time but lost contact half an hour later.

Affendi announced at the press conference that the air force will form a special body to investigate the incident, and before that, all Hawk 108 flights will be suspended.

Hawk is a single-engine training jet manufactured by British BAE systems. It could be also used as a combat aircraft.

Aviation International News reported in March that BAE Systems will help the Malaysian air force, which previously operates six Hawk 108s, upgrade the 12 single-seat 208s. The Hawk jets were all purchased in the 1990s.