By Xinhua,
Moscow : Two Russian Su- 27 fighter jets collided during a training exercise Sunday killing one pilot, a media report said.
“According to updated information, one of the three pilots was killed in the air disaster,” the Interfax news agency said quoting air force spokesman Vladimir Drik.
Two SU-27 fighter jets from the aerobatic team, called Russian Knights, collided mid-air over the Ramenskoye airfield in southeastern Moscow while rehearsing for MAKS 2009 air show, to open Tuesday.
The victim was the Russian Knights’ commander, the Interfax said.
In an earlier report, it said that all three pilots were safe after they managed to eject to safety.
A thick smoke engulfed the site after the collision.
“We saw two parachutes in the air after the collision,” RIA Novosti quoted a witness as saying.
Five civilians were injured after the crash and have been hospitalised, it said citing a police spokesman.
The cause of the collision was not immediately known.
Meanwhile, officials from the defence ministry and air force have launched an investigation into the incident.