SEOUL– U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) commander Gen. Paul LaCamera expressed his condolences Tuesday to the families of four pilots who died after two trainer jets collided and crashed last week.
In a Facebook post, LaCamera delivered the message on behalf of the USFK, the U.N. Command and the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command. He leads the three commands.
“I offer our deepest condolences to the families, friends and airmen of the four ROK Air Force pilots who died Friday,” LaCamera said, referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea.
“As fellow military service members, we mourn the loss of those who perished while protecting and defending the Korean people.”
The jets went down in a rice paddy in Sacheon, about 300 kilometers south of Seoul, after colliding with each other in midair during training, just minutes after their takeoffs from a nearby base. Each jet carried a trainee pilot, ranked first lieutenant, and a civilian flight instructor.
Source: Yonhap News Agency