Two French fighter pilots die after warplanes collide mid-air
The two jets crashed as they completed a combat manoeuvre during a training mission at an airbase in the Vosges region of France.
Thursday 15 August 2024 11:19, UK
Two fighter pilots have been killed after a warplane collision in northeastern France.
The two Rafale aircraft crashed during a training mission in the Vosges region near the town of Colombey-les-Belles, the defence ministry said.
The two pilots - an instructor and a trainee - were killed as they completed a combat manoeuvre.
The pair were named as Captain Sebastien Mabire and Lieutenant Matthis Laurens by President Emmanuel Macron, who wrote on X: "The nation shares the grief of their families and brothers in arms at Air Base 113 in Saint-Dizier."
The pilot in the other jet managed to eject from the aircraft and suffered minor injuries.
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He was found alive soon after but it took police several hours of searching in the wooded region to find the pilots who died as a result of the crash.
Military and judicial investigations are under way into the causes of the accident.