South Korea's Air Force confirmed late Tuesday that two F-5 fighter jets crashed earlier in the day during a drill near the East Sea, killing three pilots, Xinhua reported.
The bodies of the pilots and some debris of the planes were found near a mountain peak in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, an official of the Air Force was quoted by Seoul's Yonhap News Agency as saying.
The two jets was on their training flight after taking off from an airbase in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, at around 12:20 p.m. local time (0320 GMT), and lost communication with the ground five minutes later. They were believed to crash into Mount Hwangbyeong, about 20 km west of Gangueung, at around 12:33 p.m. local time ( 0333 GMT), the Air Force added.
The accident might be caused by poor visibility from the foggy weather, but further investigation will be conducted to determine the cause, the official said.
The rescue team has been forced to suspend its operation due to the bad weather in the area, and the research will be resumed on Wednesday.
Tuesday's accident is the seventh crash involving a F-5 fighter jet in the country since 2000, Yonhap said.
South Korea now operates about 180 F-5 fighters.