A United States F-16 warplane crashed Tuesday while taking off from Bagram airfield in Afghanistan, an official said. The pilot ejected safely.

Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said the fighter from the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing crashed around 8:30 pm (1630 GMT).

"Coalition forces are securing the crash site. The cause of this accident will be investigated," Cook said, adding there was no immediate indication the plane came down due to enemy action.

The pilot safely ejected, was recovered by coalition forces, and was being evaluated by medical personnel.

Bagram is the largest U.S. military base in Afghanistan and is located north of Kabul.