A minute's silence was observed before the fourth T20I between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Friday as a mark of respect for the tragic demise of Bangladesh Air Force Squadron Leader Asim Jawad in an air crash in Chattogram yesterday.

Jawad died after a YAK130 trainer fighter jet of Bangladesh Air Force crashed into the Karnaphuli river in Chattogram's Patenga yesterday morning. The 32-year-old died at the Navy hospital at BNS Patenga after he was taken there in critical condition, said a press release of the Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR).

The plane crashed into the Karnaphuli around 10:25am when it was returning to the base post-training.

The two pilots -- Wing Commander Sohan Hasan Khan and Asim Jawad -- ejected from the plane and landed in the river with emergency parachutes. They were later rescued by members of the air force, navy, and local fishermen, added the release.

The pilots were able to take the aircraft from the densely populated area near the airport to the sparsely populated area with great courage and skill to avoid major damage after it caught fire, said the ISPR.

Rescue operation was underway to recover the crashed aircraft.

The BAF has formed a high-level committee to investigate the cause of the accident.