A Belgian military base was hit by a military disaster when a series of errors caused millions of dollars to be lost as a F-16 fighter jet and other fire broke out, media reports said.
A military source in Belgium said the first plane was almost completely destroyed in the incident, while the second was parked next to it, after a mechanic fired shots from the "Gatling cannon" by mistake during a maintenance operation.
Two technicians working on Belgian Air Force planes were injured in the crash, which took place at Flores Air Base, 60 miles south of Brussels, the newspaper said.
A group of pictures posted on Twitter showed huge smoke billowing in the sky, as more than 30 firefighters and other emergency workers rushed to the scene to avoid a disaster.
The maintenance crew was repairing the F-16, which was parked near the watchtower, out of sight of the cannon, causing the "unintended" disaster, the Daily Mail said.
After the end of the repair, the two planes were refueled for a training mission, but the incident prevented this.
Gunshots came from a 20-mm Gatling gun, capable of firing 6,000 rounds per minute. The cannon is one of the best known for its rapid launch of fire in a short time.
