Child killed after Italian Air Force plane crashes during exercise

ROME - In Italy, a five-year-old girl was fatally injured when an Italian Air Force plane crashed during an acrobatic exercise near Turin, reported dpa news agency, citing reports.

The pilot managed to eject himself from the plane in time and survived thanks to his parachute, ANSA news agency reported late on Saturday afternoon.

The parents of the deceased child and a nine-year-old boy were admitted to Turin hospitals with burns.

The accident occurred during a rehearsal by the Italian Air Force aerobatic team, known as the Frecce Tricolori, for a performance that was to mark the 100th anniversary of the Air Force on Sunday.

A first reconstruction of the incident suggested a burning part of the plane hit the family's car as they drove along a country road nearby, Italian media reported in the evening.

The plane crashed shortly after take-off. A video posted on social media showed the aircraft separating from its formation and flying at high speed toward the runway.

Shortly before it hit the ground, the pilot jumped out. The plane burst into flames.

Investigations continue into the exact causes of the incident.

The plane may have collided with a flock of birds and the pilot may have lost control of the plane as a result, according to a report in La Stampa, a newspaper based in Turin. - BERNAMA-dpa