Air Force pilots die in SA crash

Two South African Air Force pilots have died after their plane crashed near a busy road during a training exercise.

Both pilots managed to eject from the plane but one was hit by a truck and the other landed on rocks and trees.

Their Impala Mk1 fighter jet developed engine trouble near the northern city of Nelspruit, 350km east of Johannesburg, a police spokesman said.

The N4 highway, which is the main link from South Africa to the Mozambique capital, Maputo, has been closed.

Aviation experts have gone to the scene of the crash to investigate its causes, said Senior Police Superintendent Mica Tlou.

The driver of the truck was treated for shock, while a passenger was slightly injured, said Police Captain Benjamin Bhembe.

"The one who parachuted into the truck hit the windscreen of the vehicle before landing on the back. He apparently died on impact," he said.

Most of the Impala jets in the country's air force have been in service since the 1970s.