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A day at an air show turned fatal Saturday when a Greek air force jet crashed north of Athens as thousands of spectators watched.
Both pilots were killed in the crash at Tanagra Air Force Base, but no civilians were hurt.
The twin-seat Phantom F-4 jet flew into the ground during a low-altitude maneuver just meters above the ground.
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“The sense of grief is widespread, and our thoughts are with the families of the two pilots we lost,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said. “It is a reminder of the daily danger faced by Greece’s aviators, who remain on constant standby to protect Greece’s skies.”
The jet burst into flames on impact, sending up a large plume of black smoke, prompting 11 water-dropping planes and helicopters to assist 85 firefighters in extinguishing the blaze.
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Video of the crash showed a second ball of fire nearby as the plane broke apart.
The bodies of the pilots were eventually recovered.
“We were all stunned. It hadn’t been airborne for more than three minutes,” an eyewitness told ERT, Greece’s state-owned broadcaster.
The crash happened during the country’s annual Athens Flying Week.
The organizers canceled the rest of the events after the incident, and the area was evacuated.
“It is with deep sadness that I learned of the death of the two officers of the Hellenic Air Force, who lost their lives in the tragic accident that occurred during the air show at Tanagra Air Base,” Cyprus’ Defense Minister Vasilis Palmas said, adding he had called Nikos Dendias, Greece’s Minister of National Defense.
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The air force has declared three days of mourning in the country.
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In May, two jets collided during an air show in Idaho, but the pilots were able to safely eject.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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