Canadian Forces Snowbirds jet crash during flyover in British Columbia leaves 1 dead

An acrobatic jet with the Canadian Forces Snowbirds crashed shortly after takeoff Sunday morning during a flyover intended to boost morale during the pandemic, killing a crew member, seriously injuring another and setting a house on fire.

"It is with heavy hearts that we announce that one member of the CF Snowbirds team has died and one has sustained serious injuries," The Royal Canadian Air Force said on social media.

A video posted just after 6 a.m. shows two jets take off from Kamloops Airport, the CBC reported.

One of the jets climbed into the air before rolling over and crashing to the ground.

“Our number one priority at this time is determining the status of our personnel, the community and supporting emergency personnel. When appropriate, more information will be made available,” the Department of National Defense said in a statement.

One person was taken to a hospital, the country's health minister said.

The Snowbirds are Canada’s equivalent of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds or U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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