MiG-31 fighter jet crashes in central Russia

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW

A Mig-31 fighter jet crashed in central Russia during a training mission, Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry said on Wednesday.

Both pilots were reportedly ejected from the aircraft, while emergency services of the Nizhegorodskay region -- where the accident took place -- were dispatched to search for them, said a statement by the ministry's regional division.

"The plane was carrying out a mission without ammunition and crashed in the middle of the forest, therefore, no damages or casualties were caused on the ground", the statement said.

According to the preliminary data, a technical flaw most likely provoked the crash, it said.