Egypt: Pilot killed in MiG-21 fighter jet crash near southern town

CAIRO – Egyptian security officials say a fighter plane has crashed near the southern city of Aswan, killing the pilot.

Officials say the Russian-made MiG-21 jet crashed while on a training flight Wednesday in an agricultural area north of Aswan. Fire fighters rushed to put out the blaze caused by the crash and cordoned off the site.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters. They did not give the cause of the crash.

The Russian-made MiG warplanes were once the backbone of Egypt's air force. They began to be replaced in the 1980s and 1990s by U.S.-made fighter jets such as the F-16.