- Crash happened at Patrouille de France airshow off the coast of Le Lavandou
- The aircraft narrowly missed hitting several boats as it crashed into the water
- An airshow had been organised to mark 80 years since the Provence Landings
A plane has crashed into the sea in front of horrified spectators at a French air show marking a Second World War milestone, with fears that the pilot could be trapped inside.
Rescuers are intensively searching for the pilot, whose fate is unknown, after the incident at the Patrouille de France, a public aircraft display organised to mark the 80th anniversary of the Provence Landings in 1944.
A shocking video shared on social media shows the aircraft crashing into the sea off the coast of Le Lavandou, near Saint Tropez in southeastern France.
The plane, believed to be a private Fouga Magister aircraft that was used in the French air force from 1964 to 1980, appears to crash between several boats, narrowly avoiding the vessels.
Rescuers are especially concerned for the pilot being trapped, as the plane does not have an ejection seat.
Firefighters are currently at the scene and the show has been cancelled while the search for the pilot continues, the local port authority has confirmed.
A plane crashed into the sea in front of horrified spectators at a French air show today, according to local reports
A shocking video shared on social media appears to show the aircraft crashing into the sea in the middle of several boats – which just avoid being hit
Firefighters are currently at the scene and the show has been stopped while the search for the pilot continues
Officials said the show had been halted due to the ‘tragic circumstances’.
The aircraft was performing at the airshow just before a demonstration by the French air force’s elite acrobatic flying team, a French air force spokesman told AFP.
A spokesperson for the district of Var where the crashed occurred said: ‘Rescue operations to find the pilot are currently being coordinated by the Mediterranean Regional Operational Surveillance and Rescue Centre (CROSS).
‘Resources from the Var Departmental Fire and Rescue Service and the Maritime Gendarmerie are deployed in the area.’
It is believed that the pilot did not come out of the aircraft in the crash that happened shortly before 5pm local time.
The Patrouille de France had only just started when the incident occurred and the plane involved in the crash was the second to go past, Le Figaro has reported.
Hundreds had come to watch the airshow, which was organised to mark 80 years since the Provence Landings, also know as Operation Dragoon, when Allied forces launched an invasion of the region on 15 August, 1944.
Originally the Provence Landings were designed to be part of Operation Overlord, which was launched on D-Day, on 6 June 1944, but was cancelled due to a lack of resources.
The campaign was successful in pushing the weakened German forces northward and an eventual withdrawal from southern France.
On Wednesday, two French pilots died after two Rafale fighter jets collided in mid-air in eastern France, in a rare accident involving France’s leading military jet.
A third pilot ejected following the crash over Colombey-les-Belles, a town in northeastern France.
This is a breaking news story – more to follow
