Chinese fighter
A Chinese J-11 fighter jet is seen flying near a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon about 215 km (135 miles) east of China's Hainan Island in this U.S. Department of Defense handout photo taken Aug. 19, 2014. Reuters/U.S. Navy/Handout

A Chinese military plane crashed Monday in northwestern Shaanxi province claiming the lives of at least two people, local media reports said. The plane reportedly crashed near the city of Weinan, about 600 miles west of capital Beijing.

Local media reports suggest that the two people killed in the accident were pilots. Initial investigation suggested that the pilots tried to steer the jet to avoid crashing into a village, according to a local media report.

The debris of the plane’s main body had been reportedly recovered at an uninhabited area. Local media reports said that no villagers were hurt in the incident.

Local fire department said that 10 fire trucks were sent to the site of the crash, The Associated Press reported. Photos that surfaced online showed wreckage spread across an area of 500 meters, including a tail bearing the markings of the People's Liberation Army.

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