A North Korean fighter jet has crashed in China, killing the pilot aboard.
Intelligence sources in China said Wednesday that a North Korean MiG-21 fighter jet crashed into a corn field in Fushun Prefecture in the Chinese province of Liaoning around 3 p.m. on Tuesday.
Photos posted on the Internet by netizens showed the images of a downed MiG-21 in a corn field and clearly showed the emblem of the North’s air force, which was modeled after the North Korean flag.
Sources say the plane crashed some 160 kilometers away from an air base in the North Korean city of Sinuiju. Reports say the pilot was likely to have been attempting to escape from the North when the plane went down.
Chinese media speculated that the plane crashed due to a lack of fuel and that the pilot apparently tried an emergency landing. Such reports noted that the body of the aircraft was relatively intact and that no traces of an explosion were found at the spot where the plane crashed.
Meanwhile, Japan's Kyodo news agency says China and North Korea have begun talks on how to deal with the crash of the North Korean fighter jet.
Citing diplomatic sources, Kyodo said that the North Korean ambassador to China is believed to have visited the Chinese foreign ministry to discuss the matter.