Chinese fighter jet crashes, injuring four civilians

A People's Liberation Army (PLA) fighter jet crashed into a suburban house in Shantou City of south China's Guangdong Province Tuesday, injuring four people.

The Ministry of National Defense confirmed late Tuesday that the fighter jet was a J-7 and encountered a mechanical failure when it was carrying out a routine training operation near an airport of Shantou at 9 a.m.

The ministry said in a statement to Xinhua that the pilot ejected from the jet and successfully parachuted before the crash, which damaged a civilian house and injured four people.

The four civilians were taken to a nearby hospital and received medical treatment, it said.

According to the ministry, the jet, which belongs to the Air Force of the PLA Guangzhou Military Area Command, was still climbing just after take-off when the mechanical failure occurred.