French military jets collide mid-air, leaving 2 missing
A Dassault Rafale of the French Air Force performs a flying display at the 54th International Paris Airshow at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, 2023.
PHOTO: Reuters
PUBLISHED ONAugust 14, 2024 11:56 PM
PARIS - Two French Rafale military jets collided mid-air over Eastern France on Aug 14, leaving at least one pilot missing along with a possible passenger, though another pilot survived the incident, according to French officials and a media report.
"One of the pilots has been found, he's safe and sound. Research is still ongoing," French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Aug 14 in a post on X, referring to rescue operations.
French media reported that rescuers were looking for a missing flying student who was in one of the planes, as well as the other missing pilot.
"The local operational centre has been activated to help the armed forces, please stay away from the area (...)," the Meurthe-et-Moselle prefecture posted on X.