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U.S. Spy Plane Crashes in South Korea
SEOUL, South Korea - An American U-2 spy plane crashed Sunday in South Korea (news - web sites), injuring three people on the ground. The Air Force pilot ejected safely. The U-2 pilot was taken to a hospital at a U.S. base in Osan, about 30 miles southeast of Seoul, where he was treated for minor injuries, Air Force spokeswoman Lt. Toni Tones said. The jet took off from Osan and crashed about six miles away in Hwasung, Tones said. Authorities did not release the name of the pilot, who is from the 5th reconnaissance squadron, or disclose details about his mission. But we could probably guess where he was heading South Korea's Yonhap news agency said three people on the ground were injured by the crash, which caused fires at a house and auto repair shop. "We are deeply sorry for this accident," Brig. Gen. Mark Beesley, vice commander of the 7th U.S. Air Force, said in a statement. Beesley, who visited the injured at a local hospital, said the U.S. military would take steps to ensure civilian damage claims would be processed quickly, the statement said. The crash comes amid rising anti-American sentiment in South Korea following the acquittals in a U.S. military court of two Army soldiers whose vehicle hit and killed two local schoolgirls in June. "When I returned after a short break, my shop was half broken down and on fire, and the military plane was wrecked beyond recognition," repair shop owner Lee Jae-kwon told Yonhap. The U-2 operates at an altitude of more than 70,000 feet, beyond the range of most surface-to-air missiles. North Korea (news - web sites) frequently complains about U.S. surveillance of the communist country. The crash came amid rising tension on the Korean Peninsula as the United States and its allies try to pressure North Korea to abandon its suspected nuclear weapons program. The United States keeps about 37,000 troops in South Korea, which shares the world's most heavily militarized border with North Korea. Posted by: tu3031 2003-01-27 |
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