Spanish military jet crashes near Madrid killing pilot

The pilot of a Spanish military plane has died after crashing during take-off at an airbase outside Madrid.

Spain's defence ministry said the accident happened in Torrejón about 15 miles east of the Spanish capital at about 11am local time.

It tweeted: "An F-18 of the Air Force's 12th wing has suffered an accident during a take-off manoeuvre on the Torrejón air base.

"As a result of the disaster ... the plane's pilot has died.

"The Air Force is investigating the causes of the accident that, for the moment, are unknown."

No one else was in the jet at the time.

Television images showed a massive cloud of smoke rising from the base area.