Two U.S. fighter jets collide, one missing

A U.S. F-16 fighter jet and its pilot are still missing Friday after it collided with another F-16fighter Thursday night over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina, officials said.

The mid-air collision took place at about 8:30 p.m. eastern time (0030 GMT Friday) about 60 km off Folly Beach during a night training mission, Robert Sexton, a spokesman for Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, told reporters.

Both jets belong to the base and each carries one pilot, he said.

One jet landed safely at Charleston, South Carolina, but the other is unaccounted for.

Sexton said members of the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy and Air Force were currently searching for the missing fighter and its pilot.

It is unclear at this point whether the pilot was able to safely eject from his jet.

The other pilot is being looked at by medical personnel while U.S. authorities are probing the cause of the accident.

Source: Xinhua