An Iranian MiG-29 has crashed into the Sabalan mountain range in the northwestern Ardebil Province on Wednesday. Efforts to locate the pilot are hampered by a severe snowstorm.

The jet was lost during a routine patrol mission, the press office for the military said. According to Tasnim News Agency, the plane took off from the Tabriz Air Base. Locals told reporters they heard a loud bang near Sabalan when the crash occurred.

The army stated that the MiG-29 was flown by an “experienced” pilot, whose fate is unknown. A rescue operation to retrieve him is hampered by severe weather and a snowstorm in the area.

#Iran Autre vidéo qui documente l'avion de chasse MiG 29 appartenant à l'armée iranienne qui s'est écrasé ce matin près de la montagne Sabalan dans le nord-ouest de l'Iran.#Tehranpic.twitter.com/2AiNezy5ei — Rebecca Rambar (@RebeccaRambar) December 25, 2019

Earlier reports suggested that the plane was a trainer aircraft, with two pilots on board.

The third-highest mountain peak in Iran, the Sabalan has a volcano crater lake on its summit.

An F-5 fighter jet crashed during a training mission in the southwestern Khuzestan Province last year, killing one of its two pilots.

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