Fault or human error downed Moroccan jet: Saudi-led coalition

Sanaa: A technical fault or human error caused the crash of a Moroccan warplane in Yemen, the Saudi-led coalition said on Tuesday, denying that rebel fire was responsible.

"We are definitely sure it wasn`t shot down," Brigadier General Ahmed al-Assiri, the coalition spokesman, told AFP.

He said the F-16 pilot, who remains missing, was part of a formation, and other aircraft "did not notice any firing from the ground".

Yemen`s Shiite Huthi rebels said on Monday they had shot down a coalition warplane, shortly after Morocco reported one of its fighters missing on a sortie.

It was the first coalition aircraft to have been reported missing over Yemen in the more than six-week bombing campaign launched on March 26.