BREAKING NEWS. The Ministry of the Armed Forces announced on Thursday evening the deaths of the two crew members of the Mirage 2000 that crashed in the Jura. The Ministry of the Armed Forces extends its sincere condolences to the family, loved ones and comrades-in-arms of Captain Baptiste Chirié and Lieutenant Audrey Michelon, who died whilst on an authorised flight.
According to the same source, the teams’ work is being hampered by snowfall. "They have covered the wreckage of the fighter jet, which was blown to pieces. A marker is placed on each piece of debris as it is recovered. It is then up to the forensic team to analyse these items. Human remains have been found at the site. The scientific team is carrying out DNA tests to confirm the identities. A few military personnel are staying on site overnight to monitor the area" as our colleagues point out.
"Yesterday, we lost contact with a Mirage 2000 that had taken off from Nancy on a training flight with two aircrew on board. The search is currently ongoing. All resources have been mobilised." Florence Parly, the Minister for the Armed Forces, stated on Thursday afternoon, before adding "At this difficult time, let us all spare a thought for these aircrew, their families and their comrades-in-arms. The priority is to find the crew".
How is the research carried out?
The first photos
Mirage 2000D crashes in the Jura: wreckage found, crew missing https://t.co/NHOWWB3kWp pic.twitter.com/uhcjaj3xfH
— France Bleu (@francebleu) 9 January 2019
🔴 EXCLUSIVE: the first images of the wreckage of the Mirage that crashed in Mignovillard (#Jura). Photo: all rights reserved, via @lestrepublicain
— Willy Graff (@WillyGraff_ER) 10 January 2019
▶️ All the latest updates here: https://t.co/Smpk0xaTDp pic.twitter.com/jrZs7rw1fh
Mirage crash in the Jura: the search continues. According to our information, the pilots are from Nancy and Clermont-Ferrand. https://t.co/onkKx2237x pic.twitter.com/2WZ2zfbs9B
— France Bleu (@francebleu) 10 January 2019