A4 down off the Brazilian coast - Curt Lewis

Jet Fighter Crashes Off Coast of Rio de Janeiro

Pilot ejects from Brazilian navy plane but hasn't been located

A Brazilian navy jet fighter crashed Tuesday afternoon during an exercise near Rio de Janeiro. Rio has been on high alert with the Olympic Games approaching, but a spokesman said the exercise wasn't related to the Olympics.

RIO DE JANEIRO-A Brazilian jet fighter crashed into the ocean off the coast of Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday afternoon, after it collided with another jet during a military exercise.

The pilot was ejected from the plane and hasn't been found, according to the Brazilian navy, which said rescue operations will continue throughout the night.

The jet fighters, both AF-1B models (A-4 Skyhawk) belonging to the navy, were based in the state of Rio. The exercise wasn't related to the Olympics, a spokesman said. The navy didn't confirm whether the jets were due to operate during the Olympic Games.

Rio is on high alert with the approach of the 2016 Olympics, the opening ceremonies of which begin Aug. 5. Around 85,000 security agents will be deployed to this seaside city, including over 20,000 members of the army, air force and navy.

The navy said in a statement that ships, planes and firefighters were all involved in the search for the missing pilot, who hasn't been identified.

The second plane was damaged but made its way back to the coast and landed safely. The accident happened off the coast of Saquarema, about 50 miles east of Rio de Janeiro.

The AF-1Bs were part of a batch of 12 planes that began to be upgraded by Embraer Defense & Security in 2015.

Earlier this month, a jet fighter belonging to the air force crashed in Santa Cruz, a western suburb of Rio. The two occupants were ejected and landed safely.

Members of the armed forces recently began patrolling the streets of Rio and carrying out a series of training exercises around the city in the run-up to the Olympic Games.

Concerns about security in Rio have been rising following a recent string of terror attacks around the world. Over the past week, Brazilian federal police arrested 12 members of an alleged terror cell that officials suspected of plotting attacks during the Olympics.