The search operation in the Bay of Bengal for missing Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) Flight Lieutenant Rumman Tahmid continued for the second day yesterday, after his fighter aircraft crashed in the sea on Monday.
“We are conducting search for the missing pilot of the aircraft. The fuselage and the engine of the aircraft could not be traced,” said Nurul Islam, Assistant Director of Inter Service Public Relations Directorate (ISPR).
A joint search and rescue operation with participation of Bangladesh Coast Guard, Bangladesh Air Force, Bangladesh Navy and Chittagong Port Authority continued yesterday. However, no major headway was reported till filing of this report yesterday evening.
Three Bangladesh Navy vessels were carrying out search in the Bay using side scan sonar, a type of underwater detection equipment. “We are conducting search in the Bay. Strong ocean current is hampering the search. Except for the wreckage of the wings, we still could not find other parts of the aircraft of the missing pilot,” said Lt Commander M Durul Huda of Bangladesh Coast Guard (East Zone).
“The parents of the missing pilot are with us. The search and rescue operation will continue,” said BAF Squadron Leader Joarder Sirajul Islam.  BAF Flight Lieutenant Rumman Tahmid went missing as the F-7 fighter jet he was piloting crashed into the Bay of Bengal around 11:10am on Monday. The BAF is yet to confirm the reason for the crash.