Two Turkish military pilots have survived a plane crash with slight injuries after their training jet went down in the eastern province of Malatya.

The pilots were cast out by the ejector seats of their F-4 Phantom jet and parachuted into an open field near Misirdere village in the Yazihan district, according to the Dogan News Agency. The crash took place moments after the military aircraft had taken off from the Erhac air base in Malatya.

Witnesses, meanwhile, said that the plane was on fire as it plummeted, and that it exploded into flames on impact.

An investigation has reportedly been launched to determine the cause of the crash.

MP/MB/AA