Rafale fighter jets. Photo: Armée de l’Air et de l’Espace – @Armee_de_lair
Two Rafale fighter jets collided and caused an explosion in northern France last Wednesday (14). The aircraft crashed in a remote forest, and the pilots did not survive.
About two hundred French security officers participated in the search and rescue operation in the forest. The jets collided around 10:30 PM near the town of Colombey-les-Belles.
One of the pilots was found injured and conscious after ejecting from the aircraft. However, the test pilot and his instructor did not survive the crash.
Witnesses reported hearing a “huge bang” after the accident. “I was eating, a plane flew over me, heading north, there was an explosion and it caught fire,” said Laëtitia, a resident of a nearby town.
French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to the victims in a post on the social network X.
“We received with sadness the news of the deaths of Captain Sébastien Mabire and Lieutenant Matthis Laurens during an air accident on a training mission with Rafale. The Nation shares the pain of their families and comrades at Air Base 113 in Saint-Dizier,” Macron wrote.
The French Ministry of Defense is investigating the causes of the accident.
Photos: Twitter Armée de l’Air et de l’Espace – @Armee_de_lair. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
