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The Associated Press

Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2011 | 1:46 a.m.

A Lithuanian military spokesman says two pilots who ejected from a Lithuanian combat training plane that crashed after it collided with a NATO jet have been found alive.
Skomantas Povilionis, a spokesman for Lithuania's armed forces, told the AP both pilots survived Tuesday's incident, but wouldn't comment on their conditions.

The Defense Ministry said the pilots ejected from the Lithuanian L39 combat training aircraft after it collided with a French Mirage fighter near the Zokniai air base in northern Lithuania. The French plane managed to land after the accident.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) _ A Lithuanian military plane crashed Tuesday after colliding midair with a French NATO jet, and rescuers were searching for two pilots who ejected after the collision, Lithuania's Defense Ministry said.

The French Mirage fighter managed to land after the accident near the Zokniai air base in northern Lithuania, while the pilots of the Lithuanian L39 plane ejected before their plane crashed, Defense Ministry spokeswoman Jovita Bazeviciute told The Associated Press.

Rescuers were searching for the pilots, whose condition was not immediately clear, she said.

France has fighter jets based at Zokniai as part of NATO's air patrols over the Baltic countries.

In Paris, a spokesman for the French Air Force confirmed an accident involving a French plane in the area, but did not immediately provide further details.

French Defense Ministry spokesman Laurent Teisseire said he didn't immediately have any information about the incident, but said France now holds the rotating responsibility for air defenses for NATO over the Baltic countries, which don't have any significant air defense resources of their own.