Two Italian Tornado jets crash on training exercise

ROME (Reuters) – Two Italian Tornado jets collided in mid-air and plunged into a hillside in central Italy during a training exercise on Tuesday, the air force said.

Local media said the pilots had ejected from the plane before impact, and the fire brigade, called to put out a forest fire caused by the incident, reported no casualties.

A witness told Sky Italia television he saw “an enormous ball of fire that lasted about five seconds, and then (the planes) crashed into the hillside”.

(Reporting by Alberto Sisto; Writing by Isla Binnie; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)