Ten dead and 21 injured after Greek F-16 fighter crashes in Albacete

Ten people died and another 21 were injured – seven critically – when a Greek F-16 fighter aircraft crashed at Los Llanos military base in Albacete on Monday, the Spanish Defense Ministry has confirmed.

The accident occurred at around 3.30pm as the aircraft was trying to take off at facilities run by NATO’s Tactical Leadership Program, in which pilots and crews from member states receive advanced training to improve their air forces’ operational capacities. 

Defense Ministry sources said the plane “lost power” as it tried to lift off and “collided into other aircraft that were parked there.”

The crash immediately triggered a large fire. Emergency services were not immediately allowed into the scene because there was a risk of further explosions as fuel tanks inside parked aircraft continued to heat up.

The victims are all NATO force members. Two Greek captains and eight French military officials died on impact, while the 21 injured individuals hail from France and Italy.

In June of last year a Spanish air force captain died after his Eurofighter plane crashed in Seville.