US fighter jet crashes in South Korea

A US F-16 fighter jet crashed during training on Saturday near a major US military base in South Korea, the US military has said.

The jet, which was assigned to the 8th Fighter Wing, “crashed in an agricultural area near Osan Air Base at about 9:45 a.m.” local time, the US Air Force in South Korea said in a statement, according to CNN.

The pilot safely ejected and was transported to the nearest medical facility, the military said. No civilians were hurt in the incident, according to the military.

The local fire department was dispatched to extinguish the fire, South Korea’s Governor of Gyeonggi Province Kim Dong-yeon wrote on Twitter.

The pilot was participating in a routine training flight, the military said, adding that the investigation into the incident is underway.

Osan Air Base is the US Air Force’s closest base to North Korea, about 64 kilometers from its border.