Rescue teams gather at the site where a military fighter jet has crashed near a military airport in Alpnach, central Switzerland, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2013. Police told The Associated Press they are investigating the scene near the airport. Swiss media say that authorities have dispatched a helicopter to the scene. The crash also has shut down a nearby railway line. (AP Photo/Keystone, Urs Flueeler)
October 23, 2013 - 7:42 AM
GENEVA - The Swiss military says that an F/A-18 fighter jet has crashed in central Switzerland, and the fate of its two crew members is unknown.
Authorities say the crash happened near a military airport in Alpnachstad in the Lake Lucerne region.
The Swiss Defence Department says the cause of the crash remains unknown.
A helicopter and emergency services were deployed at the crash site. A nearby railway line and road were closed.
In the mid-1990s, the Swiss Air Force acquired more than 30 of the F/A-18s. This is the second crash involving one of the fleet. The last jet went down in 1998 in the Swiss Alps, killing the two pilots and injuring several others.
News from © The Associated Press, 2013