Three die as cargo plane crashes into sea in Cox's Bazar, another hospitalised

Three members of a cargo plane's crew have died after the aircraft plunged into the sea off the coast of Cox’s Bazar.

Another member of the crew has been rescued with critical injuries, police and doctors have said.

The AN-26 transport aircraft, operated by True Aviation, crashed at Naziratek Point, five kilometres off the beach town.

The accident occurred around 9:30am on Wednesday, minutes after the plane took off, according to Cox’s Bazar Airport Manager Shadhan Kumar Mohanto.

Sadar police OC Aslam Hossain said the aircraft carried shrimps between Cox’s Bazar and Jessore.

Cox's Bazar Deputy Commissioner Md Ali Hossain and True Aviation's Station Manager SM Hasnat Jahan said the crew of the plane comprised Ukrainians.

The Coast Guard and local fishermen began a search and rescue operation immediately after the plane crashed almost a kilometre off the beach.

Personnel from the navy and Fire Service later joined the rescue effort.

 

Two crew members -- flight engineer Andrey Kulish, 47, and co-crew Dolodaimar, 44 -- were rescued from the sea around 10am and sent to the Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital.

Nobel Kumar Barua, the hospital's emergency wing doctor, said Andrey was declared dead on arrival.

The other crew member, who was in critical condition, was later admitted to Chittagong Medical College Hospital.

Cox's Bazar Fire Service Operations Officer Abdul Majid said the plane, caught in a low tide, had drifted three kilometres away from the crash site, delaying efforts to rescue the two others.

The bodies of pilot Murad Kaparov and co-pilot Ivan Deman were found inside the plane later in the afternoon, police said.

Airport Manager Shadhan Kumar Mohanto said the cause of the crash was yet to be determined.

He said the plane was carrying 972 boxes of shrimp fry.

The Civil Aviation Authority said the Jessore-bound aircraft had contacted the airport tower for emergency landing permission minutes after taking off. It then lost communications with the control room.

The authorities said a committee would be formed to inquire into the incident.​​