SRINAGAR: Two pilots from China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), including a senior tactical commander, were killed during separate frontline flight training missions on June 10, the South China Morning Post reported.
According to the report, both pilots were attached to the PLA Southern Theatre Command and died during separate training exercises on the same day. The publication reported that Chinese authorities have not disclosed the cause of the accidents, whether the pilots were flying together, or the type of aircraft involved.
One of the deceased was identified as Senior Colonel Fang Ming, 38, a tactical commander with the PLA Southern Theatre Command Naval Aviation unit.
The second pilot, First Lieutenant Shi Shaoyong, 25, was killed during a night flight training mission on June 10. According to his hometown government and local media, as cited by the South China Morning Post, Shi served in Unit 91911 under the PLA Southern Theatre Command Naval Aviation division.
The said the fatalities came to light through memorial notices issued by the pilots’ hometown governments and regional media reports, while Beijing has not publicly released further details about the incidents.
