Two pilots found dead after Malaysian fighter jet goes missing

Two Malaysian pilots were found dead after their military plane went missing, triggering a search-and-rescue mission yesterday, an air force spokesperson told AFP.

The Hawk 108 fighter jet took off at 11am and contact was lost at 11.30am when the plane was believed to be near the border of the Malaysian states of Pahang and Terengganu.

The two airmen's bodies were found in a swampy area in Chukai, a town in Terengganu, the spokesperson who did not want to be named, said.

"The plane has not been found yet and we are investigating," the spokesperson said without providing more details.

State news agency Bernama, citing air force chief Affendi Buang, reported that the bodies had parachutes attached to them.

There have been other recent cases of military plane incidents in Malaysia.

In December, a military Beechcraft B200T turboprop crashed in the town of Butterworth in northern Malaysia.

In May last year, an air force Aermacchi MB339CM jet crashed in a small town in the rural state of Pahang but there were no casualties.