Beijing: Two Chinese navy pilots were killed Tuesday when their plane crashed during a training mission in the southern island province of Hainan, the military said.
The crash happened during a training exercise over rural Ledong county in the southern island province.
There were no casualties on the ground and an investigation is underway to ascertain cause of the accident, the navy said in a statement.
The Peoples Liberation Army’s (PLA) official statement did not specify the type plane that crashed, although unverified witness account online said it was a twin-seat Xian JH-7 “Flying Leopard”, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.
The JH-7, which entered service with the navy and air force in the 1990s, has been involved in a number of fatal accidents over the years, it said.
China’s worst military air accident in recent years happened in January 2018. At least 12 crew members died when a PLA Air Force plane, believed to be an electronic reconnaissance aircraft, crashed in Guizhou in the southwest of the country.
Military commentators have previously said that China’s drive to improve its combat readiness, which includes the building of new aircraft carriers and warplanes, has resulted in a serious shortage of qualified pilots.
To fill the vacancies the Chinese military has started a major recruitment drive and intensive training programme for pilots, the report said.
PTI