Belgian F-16 crashes in France, pilots safe-Belgian Air Force

A Belgian F-16 fighter jet crashed near the town of Lorient in northwestern France on Thursday, the Belgian Air Force said.

Both pilots ejected from the aircraft, the air force said on Twitter. "One of our F-16s crashed near Lorient in France, the pilots left the plane with their ejection seats."

The fighter jet ripped off part of the roof of a house before crashing, an official at the regional police headquarters told Reuters. Emergency services rescued one of the pilots. The second was initially suspended on a high-voltage line by his parachute.

Local newspaper Le Telegramme said a team from Enedis, which manages the electricity grid in France, had brought him down safely. The F-16 jet took off from the Florennes air base near Namur in Belgium and was going to the Lann-Bihoué aeronautical base in Morbihan. The aircraft was not armed.

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