Air Force mourns plane crash victims

The People’s Liberation Army Air Force officers and soldiers who were killed in a military plane crash in Guizhou province last week were honored as revolutionary martyrs, the Air Force said on Sunday.

The military plane crashed during a training session on the afternoon of Jan 29. There were no survivors, the Air Force said in a news release, without disclosing the number of fatalities or details of the mission.

The Air Force’s Southern Theater honored the victims as revolutionary martyrs on Friday for their contributions to building a stronger, modern Air Force, the release said.

Those officers and soldiers successfully had carried out several major missions in the past, including military exercises and combat readiness training, it said. “They devoted their best years to their Air Force careers,” it said.

The release was issued after a memorial service in Guizhou on Sunday. The service was attended by the families and commanding officers of those killed, as well as Air Force soldiers and local officials, it said.

“The death of the officers and soldiers is a great loss for the Air Force,” the release said, adding that it will continue to conduct tough, strict training that resembles actual combat in order to continuously increase its ability to win battles.