BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) 鈥� A Hungarian military pilot ejected safely when his fighter jet crashed on Monday, Prime Minister P茅ter Magyar said.
The JAS 39 Gripen came down near the city of Szolnok in central 鈥渇or reasons that are still unknown,鈥� Magyar wrote in a post on Facebook. An investigation into the incident is underway and Minister of Defense Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi was on his way to the scene, he added.
Ruszin-Szendi said the pilot was 鈥渁live and has not sustained any injuries.鈥�
鈥淚t appears the pilot did everything he could to ensure the crashed aircraft landed on military property,鈥� Ruszin-Szendi said in a video on Facebook, adding he was traveling to the crash site with the chief of staff of the Hungarian defense forces.
Mih谩ly Gy艖rfi, the mayor of Szolnok, told local media that the pilot 鈥渨as probably training as usual鈥� at the helicopter base just outside the city, and confirmed that there were no known injuries resulting from the crash.
Hungary has 18 JAS 39 Gripen fighters, 14 of which were acquired through a lease-purchase program launched in 2001 and four others that were and joined the fleet this year.
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