Pilot left dangling from electric cables after ejecting from fighter jet
A pilot was left dangling on a high-voltage electricity line in France after his fighter jet crashed into a home today.
The F-16 pilot, from the Belgian army, was left hanging from the line by his parachute in the town of Pluvigner in Brittany after ejecting from the aircraft.
No injuries have been reported but surrounding homes were evacuated as emergency workers rushed to help the pilot down.
Dozens of firefighters and police were called to the site to free the trapped pilot who was eventually safely untangled after the power in the lines was cut.
He has now been taken to a nearby hospital for medical checks, officials said.
A co-pilot was rescued after he successfully ejected from the jet, authorities added.
The plane ripped the roof of the home it crashed into clean off but miraculously, no-one inside was hurt.
One of the plane’s wings sliced the roof and front of the house before plunging into a neighbouring farm’s field.
Ludovic Kauffer, who lives in the house, was at work at the time but his parents and wife were at home and described to him the ‘booms’ of the crash.
He said: ‘My wife was in the house and she heard a huge explosion, followed by a second, she went out into the garden and saw the plane on fire.
‘We can say it’s a miracle, the wing of the plane tore off some of the roof on the north side of our house, the damage is impressive.
‘The trees and the shed were on fire when my wife was evacuated.
‘The pilots would have managed to eject the plane before the crash.’
It is understood the pilots were heading to a naval air base in France when the jet went down.
It was not armed with weapons at the time of the crash, local media report.
A national police spokeswoman said no injuries have been reported among residents in the area.
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