Two French pilots are feared dead after their fighter jets crashed in mid-air near the north-eastern town of Colombey-les-Belles, military authorities said.
Although one pilot safely ejected and was found uninjured, a search operation is underway for two others who remain unaccounted for. The regional prefecture is appealing to members of the public to come forward with any sightings or information.
The cause of the accident was not immediately clear.
Announcing the deaths of the two pilots, president Emmanuel Macron said: “We learn with sadness the death of Capt Sebastien Mabire and Lt Matthis Laurens in an air accident in a Rafale training mission.
“The nation shares the grief of their families and brothers in arms at airbase 113 in Saint-Dizier.”
French armed forces minister Sebastien Lecornu wrote on X: “One of the pilots has been found, he is safe and sound. The search is still ongoing.
“We thank our armed forces as well as to the gendarmes mobilised in the search and in securing the area.”
A local resident called Laëtitia described witnessing the crash, telling Express: “I was eating, a plane flew over me, it was heading north, there was like an explosion and it caught fire.
“It fell on the woods, it crashed, near the Colombey-les-belles road. I only saw a plane. It made a huge black cloud.”
Patrice Bonneaux, deputy mayor of Colombey-les-Belles, told AFP: “We heard a loud noise, around 12.30pm [on Wednesday].
“It was a strange noise, a percussive sound. I assumed that two planes had collided, but we didn’t believe it.”