Fighter crashes into French field

A FRENCH Air Force Mirage jet crashed in a field near Briey, in north-eastern France, yesterday.

Authorities confirmed that the pilot ejected and parachuted to the ground safely as his single-seater Mirage 2000-5F jet went down at about 4.30pm in a field near houses in the tiny village of Barroches, Meurthe-et-Moselle, about 100km north of Nancy.

No one on the ground was injured.

The pilot, from the 116 air base at Luxeuil-Saint-Sauveur, was found in a tree and taken to hospital as a precaution.

An investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing and the area around the site has been sealed.

In June 2013, a Mirage 2000 jet crashed in the Haute Saone in central France.

Photo: Javier Rodríguez