An F-16 fighter jet crashed at a US military air base in Germany's Rhineland-Palatinate state. According to regional authorities, at least one person was injured in the incident, infohub.kz reports.
The crash occurred on September 22 at Spangdahlem Air Base, a US Air Force facility. The Eifel-Bitburg-Prüm district administration confirmed that one person was injured.
Witnesses saw a huge column of black smoke rising over the base. Birte Thomsen, the mayor of the town of Speicher, said she watched the jet lose altitude rapidly before smoke billowed over the facility.
According to witnesses, two aircraft took off from the base before the incident. One of them is believed to have crashed, and the pilot appeared to have ejected safely. Emergency services were dispatched to the scene. The local fire department was called to the base but was later stood down, as the incident occurred directly on the grounds of the American facility.
The publication notes that Spangdahlem is home to the US Air Force's 52nd Fighter Wing, which is equipped with F-16 jets. The cause of the crash and the exact type of aircraft have not yet been disclosed.