Rafale jets collide in mid‑air over Lorraine, two pilots dead

Two pilots who went missing after Wednesday's collision of two Rafale fighter jets in Lorraine are dead, French President Emmanuel Macron announced late Wednesday evening on platform X.

"We are saddened to learn of the deaths of Captain Sébastien Mabire and Lieutenant Matthis Laurens in a plane crash during a training mission," Macron wrote.

The collision of the two French military Rafale planes occurred on Wednesday in eastern France.

After the accident, two pilots from one of the aircraft were missing, while the pilot of the other safely ejected before the collision, which took place near the town of Colombey-les-Belles.

The two Rafale fighters involved in the crash belong to the Saint-Dizier military airbase. The army confirmed that the pilots were French citizens. Ukrainian pilots are training in France, but at another base in the town of Cazaux in the southwest. They also train on different aircraft – exclusively on Alpha-Jet training machines, according to AFP.

No information was provided about the causes of the crash. Regional authorities stated that representatives of the army would comment on the matter.