Germany crash: Two Eurofighter jets collide near base

File picture of two Eurofighter jets of the German Air Force taking off from the air base in Rostock-Laage, northeastern Germany Image copyright AFP
Image caption File picture of two Eurofighter jets stationed at the same base near Rostock

Two German armed forces Eurofighter jets have collided and crashed in the Müritz area of north-eastern Germany.

Both pilots were seen to eject from their planes by a colleague in a third Eurofighter plane.

One of the pilots has been found alive and a search is going on for the other.

One of the Eurofighters went down in a forest while the other crashed near a village some 10km (6 miles) away, said the interior ministry in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

The German air force said the mid-air collision happened as all three Eurofighter Typhoons were taking part in an air combat exercise. The third pilot reported seeing two parachutes.

The two planes were based at Laage near Rostock. Neither plane was carrying weapons.

Local media showed footage of the smoke from both planes after they had hit the ground and said the crashes had both started forest fires.

One of the pilots was found alive hanging from a tree by rescuers near the village of Nossentiner Hütte, reports said. Police warned that debris from the crash had been strewn over a large area.

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Media captionThe BBC's Jonathan Beale flew an RAF Typhoon jet