French Mirage fighter jet crashes on training flight, pilot killed and navigator missing

A Mirage 2000D fighter jet of the French air force has crashed during a training flight in France. The pilot was killed and the navigator remains missing, the French defence ministry has said.

The ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that the aircraft came down at 11:35 pm local time on Tuesday north of the Nancy district in north-eastern France. The crash site lies between the villages of Rogeville, Domevre-en-Haye and Tremblecourt.

According to French broadcaster BFMTV, the jet had taken off from the Nancy-Ochey air base. It crashed late at night near Nancy in the Meurthe-et-Moselle area.

The defence ministry statement confirmed the pilot's death. It also said a search operation was continuing to find the missing navigator.

Henri Lemoine, mayor of nearby Pont-a-Mousson, said large numbers of police officers and firefighters had been deployed to the crash site. They are taking part in the rescue and search work.

In a statement on Facebook, the mayor said the wreckage of the aircraft had been located with the help of drones. However, as emergency rescue work was still under way, detailed information was not immediately available.

A crisis coordination centre has been set up in Rogeville after the crash. Rescue, search and local management work is being coordinated from there.

Local authorities have warned that traffic in the surrounding area may be disrupted because of the incident. Residents have been asked to remain alert accordingly.

A judicial investigation has been opened to establish the cause and circumstances of the crash. It will examine why the aircraft came down.

The Mirage 2000D is one of the fighter jets used by the French air force. A crash on a training flight and the death of a crew member are being treated with seriousness in France.

Attention is now focused on the continuing search for the missing navigator. As the investigation progresses and the search produces results, a clearer picture of the crash is expected to emerge.