Hanoi, Ramadan 11, 1437, June 16, 2016, SPA -- A Vietnamese maritime patrol aircraft has disappeared while searching for a missing pilot whose fighter jet crashed at sea, an official said Thursday The Airbus Defence CASA C-212 maritime patrol aircraft lost contact at 12:30 pm (0530 GMT) Thursday, said Nguyen Viet Hoa of the National Committee for Search and Rescue. "Rescue forces have been sent to search for the aircraft," Hoa told dpa. The patrol aircraft carrying nine people, including three crew members, lost contact over Bach Long Vi Island in the Gulf of Tonkin, Tuoi Tre newspaper reported, quoting the authority. Le Van Thanh, party chief of Hai Phong, said he received reports from Bach Long Vi Island's district authority, reporting an aircraft crashing into the sea about 50 kilometres from the district, Vnexpress reported. The Russian-built Su30-MK2 fighter carrying two pilots lost contact with air traffic control Tuesday over the central province of Nghe An. A local fisherman informed the rescue force Tuesday that he saw a plane crash in the sea near Hon Mat island not far from the coast, the Thanh Nien report said. Fishermen in central Vietnam rescued one of the two pilots early Wednesday, officials said. The pilot was found about 60 kilometres off the coast of Thanh Hoa province, officials said. His colleague is still missing. More than 100 ships were engaged in the search and rescue efforts, the authority said. --SPA 16:37 LOCAL TIME 13:37 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w