F-16 fighter jet crash leaves pilot dangling from high-voltage electricity line in France

Airman taken to hospital after two-hour ordeal in Brittany

A Belgian F-16 fighter jet has crashed in France, leaving a pilot stuck on a high-voltage electricity line for two hours.

The warplane came down near Pluvigner in Brittany while flying from Belgium to a naval air base in France, authorities said.

Emergency crews freed the airman after shutting off power to the area, a spokesman for the regional authority said. He has been taken to hospital.

The area around the crash site was evacuated, and the jet was not carrying weapons, a statement added.

The Belgian Air Force confirmed one of its F-16s had crashed, and said both pilots ejected with one landing safely.

A French national police spokeswoman said no injuries had been reported among local residents.

About 100 police officers were investigating the crash site, she added.

Firefighters were called to the crash at 10.38am local time, according to French media reports.

Images from the scene showed flaming wreckage from the jet had caused damage to at least one home.

The F-16 is a single-engine, multi-role fighter originally developed for the US Air Force.

Its many variants have become popular with air forces around the world. Israel and Japan fly localised versions.