Trainee pilot to be handed over to Bangladesh authorities

A pilot of a two-seater Bangladesh Air Force plane, which landed under emergency conditions in a field in West Bengal's Murshidabad district, was on Thursday taken to Kolkata for handing him over to the Bangladesh authorities.

Rashid Ali, the trainee pilot of the PT6 2-seater which was caught in a storm after straying into Indian airspace and made the emergency landing at Raigram village near Salar yesterday, stayed at the circuit house last night, Murshidabad District Magistrate Rajeev Kumar said.

He was safe and in good health, the DM said.

Kumar clarified Ali was the only occupant of the aircraft. According to earlier reports, there were two people in the plane.

He said the plane was still at the spot where it landed and would be removed later.

The aircraft had taken off from an airbase in Jessore in the neighbouring country.