Greek F-16 crashes on take-off at Albacete air base in Spain

French Air Force 2x Rafales and 2x Mirage 2000Ds lost

A fighter plane crash at a military base in southeastern Spain has killed the two Greek pilots on board and eight French nationals, according to Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

The two-seater Greek F-16 fighter jet attempted to take off during a Nato military exercise at around 3:30pm (local time) at the Los Llanos base, in Albacete, but lost thrust and crashed into a hangar - triggering a large fire.

The plane crashed in an area where French Mirage and Italian Alpha Jets were parked and preparing to join the Tactical Leadership Program (TLP) training exercise, Spain's Defence Ministry said in a statement.A further 21 people -10 French people, 11 Italians - were injured in the incident at the base used by Nato to train pilots and crews from member states, Rajoy told Telecinco TV.

Five of those injured were taken to a specialist burns unit at La Paz Hospital in Madrid while the others were treated at a hospital in Albacete, the Defence Ministry said.