Fighter jet crashes in Iran’s Tabriz | News

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State media reported that the plane hit the ground near a school; two pilots and a pedestrian killed.

Tehran, Iran – Three people have been killed after an army warplane crashed in an urban area in Iran’s Tabriz.

Two pilots and a civilian sitting in a parked vehicle were killed in the incident.

Local army official Reza Yousefi told state media at the site of the crash that the aircraft was an F5 model used for training purposes and crashed due to technical issues.

He lauded the two pilots for “sacrificing” themselves as they managed to evade residential areas and landed the plane in an open area next to a sports complex.

The plane then hit the side of a school that was empty due to COVID-19 restrictions, he said, also hitting the civilian’s car.

“These two pilots laid down their lives so the plane wouldn’t hit residential areas. They could have ejected but they stayed and managed to veer it toward a non-residential area,” Yousefi said.

An army spokesman also confirmed this account, said the incident took place around 8am (04:30 GMT), and identified the pilots as Sadegh Falahi and Alireza Hanifehzad.

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