Aircraft

Rescue forces are searching for a missing pilot after two French naval Dassault Rafale fighters have crashed into the Mediterranean Sea.

The aircraft, from the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, came down some 30km east of the French coastal city of Perpignan at about 18:00.

In a statement the navy says that one of the two pilots has been recovered, although it does not indicate the pilot's medical condition.

Several maritime aircraft and helicopters - from regional bases as well as the carrier - plus lifeboats from the SNSM organisation have been deployed in the search.

While the navy states that the two aircraft had been conducting a "training mission", it has given no further details of the circumstances of their loss.