World News | Pilot Safe After F-35C Crashes Near Central California Naval Installation in US

Lemoore (US), Jul 31 (AP) A pilot was safe after an F-35C fighter jet crashed near a central California naval installation on Wednesday, officials said.

Authorities received a report that a military jet had crashed and was engulfed in flames around 6:40 pm, the Fresno County Sheriff's Office said in a social media post.

Also Read | Mississippi Dog Attack: 57-Year-Old Employee Mauled to Death by Pit Bull and Mixed Breed While Placing Them Into Kennel at Animal Shelter in Water Valley; 1 Dog Shot, Another Euthanised.

Responding deputies, firefighters, California Highway Patrol officers and EMS personnel found the wreckage in a cotton field just north of Lemoore Naval Air Station.

The pilot, who had ejected, was found with a parachute in a nearby field, the sheriff's office said. He was flown to a hospital for evaluation and was expected to be OK.

Also Read | Donald Trump's Move To Impose 50% Tariffs on Copper May End Up Hurting US Industry, Says Think Tank GTRI.

Firefighters used a bulldozer to cut a path to the jet so fire engines could get close enough to extinguish the fire, the sheriff's office said.

Naval Air Station Lemoore confirmed that the F-35C attached to the VFA-125 Rough Raiders went down near the installation. The pilot was safe after successfully ejecting and no other personnel were affected, the installation said in a statement posted on social media. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)