Pilot dies as fighter jet crashes into sea at air show

A Eurofighter jet performing at an Italian air show has crashed in the sea, killing its pilot, the country's air force has said.

Thousands of people gathered on the coast at Terracina, south of Rome, watched in horror yesterday as the jet completed a loop but then failed to get enough lift as it approached sea level.

It  slammed into the water just a few hundred metres offshore, sending up a huge plume of smoke and spray upon impact.

The air force said the body of the pilot, identified as Captain Gabriele Orlandi, was recovered soon thereafter.

The rest of the Terracina Air Show – which was to have featured Italy's famed Frecce Tricolore squad – was cancelled.

An investigation into the crash is underway.