Fighter jets crash in north China

Two air force jets have crashed in northern China after colliding in mid-air, Chinese state media report.

The Jian-8 fighters collided above the suburbs of Hohhot city in Inner Mongolia during a training mission, said news agency Xinhua.

Both pilots are said to have ejected and parachuted to safety, and suffered only minor injuries.

The agency says both planes crashed in inhabited areas, but gives no word on casualties on the ground.

The crash occurred just before 0900 (0100 GMT) on Wednesday, Xinhua said, in Qingshuihe County in the suburbs of Hohhot.

The agency said one plane had exploded in Wulipo, Jiucai township, leaving only the tail intact.

It said the other caught fire in a village, and both crash sites had been cordoned off.