Tragedy Strikes Airshow: Fouga Magister Jet Crashes into Mediterranean

A Fouga Magister jet crashed into the sea during an airshow on France's Mediterranean coast, prompting a search for the pilot. The show commemorated the 80th anniversary of the allied D-Day landings. The French Air Force canceled further aerial displays in solidarity. This incident follows a military jet collision two days prior.

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 canceled 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.