Two German Eurofighter jets have crashed in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the Interior Ministry has confirmed. The planes have fallen in a residential area, according to the German media.
The two German Air Force warplanes collided in the air over the small town of Malchow, located some 80km away from the German city of Schwerin.
“The Eurofighter [jets] collided in the air and then crashed,” a military spokesman told Der Spiegel magazine. According to the Defense Ministry, one of the jets crashed in a wooded area near the village of Jabel, while the other one fell 10km away, south of the village of Nossentiner Huette.
The wreckage of the destroyed aircraft has fallen in a nearby forest, where it apparently caused a fire. A video posted on social media by a local radio broadcaster shows plumes of black smoke billowing over a forest at the purported crash site. Some parts of the planes also hit a residential area, a local newspaper, SVZ, reports.
Both aircraft were part of the Air Force Squadron 73 ‘Steinhoff,’ stationed at the Laage base near the city of Rostok. They were performing a training flight when the incident occurred. The pilots reportedly managed to eject and are believed to have survived the ordeal. There has been no information about any casualties on the ground so far.
One of the pilots was located alive, the Defense Ministry confirmed. Hours later, the German Air Force said that the second pilot had been found dead. The surviving pilot had suffered some injuries and was taken to a hospital, according to the police.
A spokesman for the German Armed Forces, the Bundeswehr, also confirmed that the incident took place but did not provide any further information.
Mecklenburg Lake District, where the crash happened, is a popular German holiday destination known for its nature reserves.
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