Bahraini F-16 fighter jet crashes in Saudi Arabia

Manama: A Bahraini F-16 fighter jet crashed in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday morning due to a technical glitch, Saudi media reported.

 

The captain survived and was rushed to a nearby hospital, before being moved to Saudi Arabia's Armed Forces Hospital, Al Riyadh daily reported.

 

Security forces were sent immediately to the crash site, the report said.

Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) has confirmed that an F16 fighter from the Royal Bahraini Air Force crashed on Wednesday morning near the Saudi southern borders.

"The fighter jet crashed while undertaking the national duty of defending the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)'s southern borders as part of the Saudi-led Arab Coalition's Operation Decisive Storm and Operation Restore Hope," the BDF General Command said in a statement carried by Bahrain News Agency (BNA).

"The pilot has been rescued and he is in good condition and the debris of the aircraft is under the control of the Arab coalition forces. Investigations are underway to determine the cause of the incident," the statement said.

The Command of Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen said in a statement on Wednesday morning that "a pilot from the Bahraini force participating in the coalition survived after the fall of his fighter jet F-16 in Jazan region due to a technical malfunction this morning."

The crash occurred one day after three Bahraini soldiers were killed near the Saudi borders with Yemen.

Eight Bahrainis have been killed as the kingdom has had an active role in the operations launched in March to restore legitimacy in Yemen.

The other five were killed in September during an attack on the coalition.