Two French Air Force jets have collided mid-air while rehearsing a stunt.
The crash occurred near the air base in Saint-Dizier, eastern France, this afternoon during a training drill involving six Alpha Jets from the Patrouille de France.
Terrifying footage shows how the group of jets were performing a stunt and firing smoke when two aircraft collided in mid-air.
The two planes then suddenly fell to the ground. Both were destroyed in the crash.
Both pilots and a passenger were able to eject from the planes and were ‘found conscious’, according French Air and Space Force officials.
Two people who are in a state of ‘relative emergency’ have been taken to the local hospital, French newspaper Le Figaro reports. The third, described as a ‘multi-trauma sufferer’ is being treated by the Army.
Sébastien Lecornu, France’s Minister of the Armed Forces, confirmed the accident in a statement on X.
‘Emergency services are being mobilised, and coordination is being ensured by the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of the Armed Forces,’ Lecornu said.
The collision occurred near Saint-Dizier around 3.35pm today during a training drill involving seven Alpha Jets
Officials say both jets were destroyed in the horrifying incident
Both pilots and a passenger were able to eject from the planes and were ‘found conscious’. In this image, you can see three people parachuting after ejecting from the jets
One of the jets crashed into the silos at the Calin concrete company, which is located near the airbase in Saint-Dizier. Firefighters are working to extinguish a blaze
The two planes collided during a drill near Air Base 113 around 3.35pm today, according to French Air and Space Force officials.
One of the jets crashed into a silo at the Calin concrete company, which is located near the airbase in Saint-Dizier, and sparked a fire. The other plane is believed to have landed in a canal.
The Calin concrete company told the newspaper that firefighters are working to extinguish a blaze. Police and paramedics are also on scene.
No civilian causalities were reported in the incident.
One witness recalled how they were watching the Aerobatic Patrol team’s performance for 15 minutes where they heard a ‘loud bang’ and felt the ‘compound vibrate’.
‘We looked up and debris was falling from the sky,’ the witness, who works at a nearby dealership, told Puissance Télévision. ‘The pilot landed 50 meters from the compound and was immediately taken away on a stretcher by the firefighters.’
Authorities have activated the Sater Plan, a system that organises the search for civil or military aircraft using air, land or radio-electric resources. An Air Force helicopter was seen flying over the area in search of debris.
Saint-Dizier Mayor Quentin Brière has visited the site and urged locals ‘not give in to panic’, the TV news outlet reports.
He also applauded the professionalism of the pilots, which he alleges allowed the planes to crash without risk to locals.
Two people are seen parachuting after ejecting from the Alpha Jets as a ball of fire erupts where one of the planes crashed
The Alpha Jet planes are thought to have collided near an air base west of Saint-Dizier in northeastern France. Pictured is a ball of fire that erupted after one plane crashed to the ground
The Calin concrete company has confirmed that police, firefighters and paramedics are on scene
Smoke billows over the Calin concrete company today after a French Air Force jet collided with another plane and then crashed into one of its silos
The city of Saint-Dizier announced last week that the French Aerobatic Patrol would be practising air exercises from Monday to Friday.
A nighttime exercise was scheduled for this evening. It is unclear if this will continue as planned.
France has been using the light Alpha twin-engined aircraft to train Ukrainian pilots after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In August 2024, two French pilots died after their Rafale jets collided in mid-air in eastern France, in a rare accident involving the cutting-edge military aircraft.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .