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Crashed Swiss army jet found in Alps

August 30, 2016

Rescuers say they have found the remains of a Swiss army F/A - 18 C jet that had disappeared over the Alps on Monday afternoon. Search crews have launched a large-scale hunt for the pilot.

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Image: picture-alliance/dpa/U. Flueeler

Rescuers spotted the debris from the air in the hard-to-reach Susten Pass. Bad weather had made all land routes currently impassable, Switzerland's defense ministry said on Tuesday, adding that mountaineering experts would be let down by helicopter "as soon as conditions allow."

Search crews were still looking for the pilot.

The accident is the latest in a series of mishaps to befall the Swiss air force. Two Swiss Tiger F-5E fighter aircraft collided during an air show in the Netherlands in June. Last October, another Swiss F/A - 18 C jet crashed in France's Doubs area. The pilot managed to escape with minor injuries.

The F/A-18 C, built by McDonnell Douglas in 1978, is the first aircraft that can fly both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions.

mg/kms (AP, AFP)