Seoul, South Korea

An American F-16 fighter jet crashed in South Korea on Monday (Dec 11) during a training exercise and the pilot has since been rescued after ejecting from the aircraft, by South Korean authorities, said the United States Air Force confirming the incident earlier reported by news agency Yonhap. 

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What happened?

A report by Yonhap citing the US military branch said the jet assigned to the 8th Fighter Wing crashed into the waters at approximately 8:43 am (local time) after taking off from the Kunsan Air Base in Gunsan nearly 200 kilometres away from the capital Seoul. 

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“The pilot has been recovered by Republic of Korea Maritime Forces, awake and in stable condition. He is being returned to Kunsan Air Base where he will be evaluated further,” said the US officials. 

The airbase located in the South Korean west coast city of Gunsan is one of the two main air bases used by the US military in the country. 

The incident is said to have taken place in the Yellow Sea. According to the US Air Force unit, the South Korean coast guard and the Navy were involved in the rescue operation. 

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The cause of the crash was being investigated, said the US officials in South Korea. The unit commander, Colonel Matthew Gaetke, said he was grateful for the pilot’s recovery and that he was in good condition. No other information about available about the pilot’s condition. 

Previous crash

The reported incident comes months after a US F-16 jet crashed during a routine training exercise in a farming area south of Seoul. 

The previous crash took place in May and the pilot ejected safely and the accident caused no other casualties.

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Washington is Seoul’s key security ally and has stationed around 28,500 American troops in South Korea. 

(With inputs from agencies)