Chechnya jet crashes: pilot dead

A Russian jet fighter has crashed in Chechnya, killing the pilot.

The circumstances are unclear, but officials say the plane, an Su-25, was making a sortie over the Vedeno region of southeast Chechnya when it went down.

A search party found the body of the pilot, who was the only person on board.

The flight recorders were also recovered.

There have been a series of military helicopter crashes in the mountains of Chechnya in recent months, but correspondents say the loss of a fixed-wing aircraft there is unusual.

They say the crash may have been caused by mechanical failure or pilot error, but the plane might alternatively have been shot down by a rebel missile.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service