TEHRAN - The Iranian Army’s public relations announced on Wednesday that an Air Force’s fighter jet crashed when it was on a mission over Sabalan heights in the northwestern province of Ardabil. 

“The Army Air Force’ MiG-29, which was on a mission… in the northwestern part of the country, has crashed,” the army said, adding that fate of the jet’s pilots is under investigation.

According to the army, the fighter jet’s pilot Colonel Mohammad Reza Rahmani was one of the most skillful pilots of the air force. 

It said despite the fact that the region is impassable and the weather is snowy, efforts are underway by ground and aerial rescue teams to locate the pilots. 

The MiG-29 fighter jet had taken off from an airbase in the city of Tabriz and was patrolling in the airspace of Ardabil Province when it crashed in a mountainous area. 

MJ/PA