DHAKA, March 9 -- A cargo plane on Wednesday morning crashed into the Bay of Bengal off the coast of Bangladesh's southeastern Cox's Bazaar district, some 292 km away of capital Dhaka, leaving one of its Russian pilots dead and two others missing, local police said.

Sadhan Kumar Mohanta, manager of Cox's Bazaar Airport, told Xinhua that the pilot who is a Russian national died in the crash and another pilot was critically injured.

Two crew members were still missing, he said, adding a search and rescue operation is under way.

The cargo plane crashed into the sea minutes after taking off from the Cox's Airport at about 9:05 a.m. (local time) on Wednesday.

The cargo plane of Russian True Aviation, which is registered here locally, was carrying spawns of shrimps from Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar to southwestern Jessore district, some 164 km away of capital Dhaka.

Details of the crash could not be ascertained immediately.