Jet crashes in San Diego

US: Three people were killed and one remained missing after a US F/A-18 fighter jet slammed into a densely populated neighborhood in California, officials said.

The accident occurred shortly before midday (2000 GMT) on Monday when the two-seater plane spiraled out of control and crashed into two homes in the University City suburb of San Diego, officials said.

The pilot of the aircraft, which had been taking part in a training exercise and was approaching the Marine Corps Air Station in Miramar when it crashed, ejected safely and landed in the grounds of a nearby school.

Plumes of thick smoke billowed from the crash site, where dozens of firefighters battled to extinguish flames amid the charred wreckage of two homes in the leafy neighborhood.

The fatalities were confirmed at a mid-afternoon press conference attended by San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, police, fire and military officials.

"Our hearts go out to the victims," Sanders told reporters.

The bodies of the victims were found in the scorched rubble of the crash site.

Their identities were not announced but local media said a grandmother, a mother and two children lived in the house that was hit.

The South Korean Yonhap news agency reported the two adult victims were South Korean nationals.

Los Angeles, Tuesday, AFP