Indonesian military jet crashes into residential area

Indonesian Air Force members stand guard in front of debris of a Hawk 209 fighter jet (under blue tarp) after it crashed in Pekanbaru, Riau province on June 15, 2020. – An Indonesian military fighter jet ploughed into a residential area in Sumatra on June 15, but the pilot ejected safely and there were no injuries on the ground, the air force said. (Photo by Wahyudi / AFP)

KAMPAR, Indonesia (AFP) — An Indonesian military fighter jet ploughed into a residential area in Sumatra on Monday, but the pilot ejected safely and there were no injuries on the ground, the air force said.

The one-seater Hawk 209 was returning from training maneuvers when the pilot reported engine problems and ejected from the British-built plane, which then crashed into a group of empty houses, according to officials.

No one on the ground in Kampar regency was hurt, said Indonesian Air Force chief of staff Fadjar Prasetyo.

“There were three jets returning from exercises this morning and they were about to land when one of them crashed about two kilometers from the runway,” he added.

An investigation would be carried out to determine the cause of the accident, Prasetyo said.

The incident comes in the same month that an army helicopter crashed during a training exercise on Java Island, killing four soldiers and leaving five others injured.

© Agence France-Presse