US fighter jet crashes in Persian Gulf; Marine helicopter missing in Nepal

The US military says one of its warplanes has crashed shortly after taking off from an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf, while one Marine helicopter has gone missing in Nepal.

The F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet took off from the USS Theodore Roosevelt at around 5:30 pm on Tuesday, but crashed shortly afterwards.

The Navy did not immediately offer the reason for the crash but suggested it was an accident.

“The crash was not a result of hostile activity,” the US Navy said in a statement that was issued by Fifth Fleet, which is responsible for the area where the USS Theodore Roosevelt is deployed.

The Navy is investigating the cause of the crash.

The two personnel from fighter jet ejected and were quickly recovered by search and rescue personnel from the carrier, the statement said.

The aircraft carrier was in the Northern Persian Gulf, to support the US-led airstrikes against the ISIL Takfiris wreaking havoc in Syria and Iraq.

The aircraft belongs to the Strike Fighter Squadron 211 based at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia, and is assigned to Carrier Air Wing One.

Copter missing

Meanwhile, the US military said one its Marine helicopters went missing on Tuesday near Nepal's Charikot.

The UH-1Y Huey with two Nepalese soldiers and six US Marines on board disappeared over Charikot, Nepal, at about 10:00 pm local time, according to US Pacific Command spokesman Army Maj. Dave Eastburn.

Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said the US military is hopeful that the missing helicopter landed and is out of communication.

A nearby Indian helicopter heard radio conversation about a possible fuel problem from the copter, which was in Nepal to deliver aid to victims of a recent earthquake, Warren told the Associated Press.

As no smoke was seen in the area hopes remained that the helicopter did not crash and just lost contact.

A 90-minute search was conducted in the area that the UH-1Y Huey had last been seen by a Nepalese air brigade but nothing was found, Warren said

The helicopter, which was carrying tarps and rice dropped off supplies in one location and was en route to a second site when contact was lost.

As it was getting dark, members of the Nepalese Army started search on foot and were heading for the second aid location to check out if it landed there.

Worst aftershock

The incident occurred on a day that a 7.3-magnitude aftershock rocked the country following last month’s 7.8-magnitude quake.

The aftershock was said to be the strongest since the time.

The quake that struck Nepal on April 25, has left thousands dead, and destroyed hundreds of thousands of houses.

AHT/GJH/NT

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