Taipei: An F-16 fighter jet that went missing during a training mission in Taiwan is feared to have been hijacked.
According to the World News Agency, the Taiwanese jet went missing half an hour after taking off for a routine training flight from an airport in the southern city of Chiai. The pilot was last contacted by the control tower while flying over the ocean.
Eyewitnesses also say that they have seen a plane hovering in the sea. Taiwan's military has launched a rescue operation involving a Coast Guard ship, a Navy diver and two helicopters.
The wreckage of the plane was not found until the last report was received. President Tsai Ing-wen has ordered every possible effort to rescue the pilot and demanded an explanation for the crash.
It should be noted that tensions between China and Taiwan have increased and both have started military exercises on the border.
