French jet crashes into sea during airshow at Mediterranean coast, pilot missing

Reuters | August 16, 2024 | 10:08 PM IST | Breaking News, World | Follow on Google News

French jet crashes into sea during airshow at Mediterranean coast, pilot missing

French jet crashes into sea during airshow at Mediterranean coast, pilot missing

PARIS, Aug 16 (Reuters) – A privately owned Fouga Magister jet crashed into the sea on Friday during an airshow near Lavandou, on France’s Mediterranean coast, with a search underway to find the pilot, said local French authorities.

The airshow was part of a commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the allied forces’ D-Day landings in Provence.

The French Air Force said in a statement that the crash did not concern an aircraft of the airforce’s “Patrouille de France” aerobatics team but involved a Fouga Magister belonging to an association.

In a separate statement, the air force said that following the accident, the “Patrouille de France” had cancelled its aerial presentation.

“The pilots and the entire Air Force community would like to express their solidarity at this difficult time,” it said.

The crash comes just two days after two French military jets collided in eastern France, killing two military personnel and leaving a sole survivor.

Reuters