A pilot was killed Sunday when a Russian-made fighter jet crashed in a mountainous area in northern Venezuela during practice exercises ahead of a parade to mark the country's independence, President Nicolas Maduro said.
"I regret to inform that during the practice manoeuvres ... an aircraft of our Bolivarian Military Aviation fell to the ground, causing the physical loss of the distinguished pilot Col. Paulino Jose Millan Sabino," the president wrote on Twitter.
The armed forces said in a statement that the plane "crashed to the ground" at around 09:45 am (1345 GMT) on July 2 in the municipality of Guaicaipuro, in Miranda state, some 31 kilometers (19 miles) from Caracas.
The plane, a Sukhoi-30, had two crew members. Both managed to eject, but Sabino "died when he fell to the ground," the armed forces added.
Among military equipment purchases, Venezuela acquired 24 Sukhoi Su-30MK2 aircraft in 2006 to replace the French Dassault Mirage.
Two other military pilots were killed in October 2019 when another Sukhoi-30 crashed.
JH
