Pilot’s lifeless body recovered after Italian military jet crashes in Sicily

An Italian air force pilot was killed when his fighter plane crashed on the island of Sicily.

Rescue forces found the man’s body early on Wednesday, news agency ANSA reported.

The Italian military had confirmed the crash late Tuesday, saying the aircraft did not return from a training mission in the afternoon.

The crash site was believed to be about 10 kilometres south-east of a military base near Trapani, in western Sicily.

A helicopter was sent in search of the pilot, the air force said.

The cause of the crash was still unclear as of the time of writing this report.