2 N. Korean MiG-21 fighters collide

Two North Korean MiG-21 fighter planes crashed after they collided in the air during a night training recently, a government official said Monday.

The two craft, which are the main fighter plane used by North Korea, took off the night of Dec. 13 from an air base in the rear front in the North and collided with each other during an exercise, he said.

Immediately after the accident, all the North Korean air force flight exercises were suspended, he said.

¡°It is the first time for North Korean fighters to crash in a collision in the air during a training exercise,¡± the official said. ¡°North Korean pilots had not had flight training over the past few years due to the shortage of fuel. Their unskillful control seemed to be the cause for the accident.¡±

¡°Their training has been active in recent days, but North Korean pilots¡¯ average training hours a year are nothing but several tens of hours,¡± he added.