"The pilot and the co-pilot were able to eject before the crash. They were both localised and are alive," it said in a statement.

It said one pilot had been rescued while operations were underway by the military and electricity workers to free the other from the high-voltage power line.

The plane had taken off from Belgium and was heading to a French naval airbase close to the town of Lorient.

The Belgian defence ministry confirmed the incident, saying the pilots successfully ejected, without giving further details.