Military aircraft crashes during air show in Greece

A Greek military F-4 Phantom aircraft crashed during an air show in Tanagra on Saturday afternoon, according to local media.

Greek public broadcaster ERT reported that the aircraft went down shortly before 3 pm (1200GMT) under circumstances that were not immediately clear.

An explosion occurred immediately after the crash, while an ERT reporter at the scene said the aircraft suddenly began losing altitude before hitting the ground.

The crash occurred only minutes after the Greek Air Force aerial demonstration had begun and was witnessed by thousands of visitors attending the event.

There was no immediate official information on the condition of the aircraft's two pilots or whether they had used the aircraft's ejection system.

A firefighting helicopter was deployed to drop water on a blaze sparked by the crash.

Initial information indicated that the aircraft had broken into two sections, with fires reported at two separate locations at the crash site.

Authorities had not immediately announced the cause of the crash or further details about possible casualties.