UPDATE: A pilot died Monday morning after a CF-18 fighter jet crashed near Cold Lake, Alta., the commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force confirmed.
A CF-188 Hornet, commonly known as a CF-18, from 4 Wing Cold Lake crashed inside the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range inside Saskatchewan at 11:09 a.m.
Public affairs officer Mathew Strong said emergency crews were sent to the site, not far from the Primrose Lake Evaluation Range, following the crash.
There is no word yet on the identity of the pilot or the cause of the incident.
“Our hearts and prayers go out to the family,” Minister of National Defence Harjit Sajjan said Monday afternoon.
“It’s too preliminary to make any type of judgement, any conclusion. The best thing we can do right now is give the Air Force and the Canadian Armed Forces the space to do the necessary work.”