DEFENSE/Air Force officer killed after being sucked into fighter jet engine

Taipei, Jan. 21 (CNA) An Air Force officer was killed after being sucked into a fighter jet's engine on a central Taiwan air base on Tuesday, according to the military.

The incident took place on Tuesday morning in a hangar at Taichung's Ching Chuan Kang Air Base shortly after the fighter jet landed and pulled into the structure, the Air Force Command Headquarters said in a press release.

A master sergeant surnamed Hu (胡) was doing a routine final checkup of the fighter jet before it turned off its engines, but for unknown reasons, Hu was sucked into an engine, the statement said.

The officer was immediately sent to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment but was later pronounced dead by doctors, it said.

The Air Force expressed its condolences to Hu's family over the accident and said it is investigating the cause of the accident and will conduct thorough checks to prevent reoccurrences.

No further details on the case were provided by the Air Force. Local media reports said the jet was an indigenous defense fighter (IDF) aircraft.