Two killed in fighter jet crash

A Saudi fighter jet crashed while on a night training exercise, killing the crew of two, a Defence Ministry official said today.

The official, quoted by the Saudi Press Agency, blamed a technical malfunction for the crash of the British-made Tornado jet in the Eastern Province on Saturday.

It was the fourth Saudi air force accident since November involving a Tornado.

Last month, a Tornado crashed in the Southern Province, but the pilot and co-pilot survived.

In March, the pilot and co-pilot were killed when their Tornado went down in the Eastern Province. And in November, a Tornado crashed in Beesha in southwestern Saudi Arabia. Both the pilot and co-pilot were able to parachute before the plane went down.

That same month, an army helicopter crashed, killing all seven people on board.

Saudi Arabia has at least 301 combat aircraft.