1st LD Writethru: Aircraft collide at Portugal air show killing Spanish pilot

LISBON, June 2 (Xinhua) -- Two aircraft collided Sunday afternoon at the Beja Air Show, killing one and injuring another, according to an official report by the Portuguese Air Force.

In a statement, officials also reported that the fatality was of Spanish nationality and a member of the Iberian patrol team Yakstars, which was performing an aerial demonstration.

According to the Air Force's website, Yakstars is an aerobatic display team, the first in the history of Iberian military and civilian aviation, consisting of Portuguese and Spanish pilots.

In light of the accident, the Beja Air Show event was immediately canceled.

Images of the accident broadcast by CMTV, a local TV network, show one of the aircraft from a group of six falling vertically and crashing, causing a strong explosion, while another hits the ground horizontally.

The Office for the Prevention and Investigation of Aircraft and Railway Accidents (GPIAAF) informed the Lusa news agency that it has dispatched a team to Air Base No. 11 in Beja, as the festival where the accident occurred is organized and has airspace controlled by the Armed Forces.