Ten people were killed and 13 injured when a Greek fighter plane crashed during Nato training in Spain yesterday, the Defence Ministry said.

The F-16 crashed about 3.20pm as it took off at a training centre in Albacete, 260 kilo­metres southeast of the capital Madrid.

“The plane, part of the Tactical Leadership Programme of Nato, was carrying out a training exercise when during take-off the plane lost power, crashing into the parking area for planes, crashing into various planes that were parked there,” the defence ministry said in a statement.

Two pilots on board were among the dead. Other pilots and mechanics were underneath the plane in the parking area when it crashed, Spanish media reported.

France’s Defence Ministry said that one Frenchman was killed and five seriously injured.

“I am deeply saddened,” Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement. “This is a tragedy which affects the whole Nato family. I express my heartfelt condolences to the loved ones and the nations of those who lost their lives, and I wish a speedy recovery to the injured.”

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.