U.S. military jet crashes in Southern California desert townJune 5, 2014 - 10:16 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A U.S. military jet crashed in a Southern California desert town on Wednesday, June 4, damaging homes, military officials and local media said, according to Reuters. An AV-8B Harrier jet from the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Arizona, crashed at about 4:20 pm local time in Imperial, California, said Corporal Melissa Lee of the San-Diego based Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. As of Wednesday night, eight homes were evacuated, but no injuries had been reported, the Miramar air station said in a statement. The pilot of the downed plane ejected safely and was transported to a hospital for evaluation, Lee said. She said that civilian homes were damaged by the crash, adding that an investigation was being conducted to uncover the cause of the crash. Local television reports showed images of at least one house engulfed in flames and billows of black smoke reaching into the sky. "I heard a large explosion, and it felt like an earthquake," Patricia Roblas, a resident near the crash site, told NBC 7 San Diego. "It was really scary. After they put the fires out, a few minutes later, we saw another huge fire so we didn’t know if there was an explosion because of gas or what." Imperial is a city of nearly 16,000 people that sits about 100 miles (160 km) east of San Diego and only a few miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. In May, a AV-8B harrier stationed at the same Yuma airbase crashed in a remote desert area on the Gila River Indian Community outside of Phoenix, The Arizona Republic reported. The paper reported that the pilot suffered only a minor injury to his nose, and no community members were hurt. The Harrier jet was the first in the U.S. Marine arsenal capable of vertical or short distance takeoff and landing, and is equipped with thrusters that allow the plane to "hover like a helicopter," according to the Marine's website. Photo: Reuters Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. |