Dodoma, Oct 2 (IANS): Two soldiers of the Tanzania People's Defence Force (TPDF) died after a military plane crashed in the Indian Ocean on Thursday.

TPDF confirmed the incident saying the plane which was used for training crashed around 9.30 a.m. local time and had two pilots who were Lieutenant Colonel Talkisiyo Bruno Ndongoro and Captain Gaudence Peter Hamis, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to a statement issued by TPDF's communication unit, the two pilots lost the direction when they were coming from Silver Sand area of Bundya Island on the north-eastern coast of Dar es Salaam city.

TPDF said the source of the accident is engine fault and when the pilots discovered the problem it was too late to get out of the plane.

"Worse enough, the plane submerged into the ocean and the TPDF soldiers were on site to search for the bodies of dead pilots using military boats," the force said in statement, without divulging detailed information on the type of the plane that involved in the accident.