Nato fighter jet crash-lands and explodes at holiday hotspot in front of horrified tourists

The aircraft, which was on a training fight, hit the ground at about 1.45pm (10.45am GMT), after developing a technical fault, the Hellenic Air Force said.

Fortunately, its pilot has managed to escape the wreckage "in good health", it added.

An urgent probe has now been launched to determine the technical error.

Greek media has said the jet was alight before landing and caught fire on the runway.

The fighter jet collided with the ground without deploying its landing gear, leaving it careering down the runway, Greek media reported.

Emergency services quickly responded to the scene as firefighters sprayed the jet with fire retardant fluid.

The aircraft belonged to the 335 Squadron of the 116th Combat Wing based at Araxos Air Base in western Greece, the air force added.

Its pilot was taken via helicopter to the 117th Fighter Wing in Andravida for medical examinations, according to Greek outlet Ta Nea.

The runway was closed following the incident, sparking travel chaos at the tourist-filled airport.

All flights were delayed until at least 9pm, even those scheduled to leave hours earlier.

Some scheduled flights were diverted to Athens while the runway was cleared.

A British Airways flight which left London Heathrow was expected to land at 2.50pm, but was diverted to the Greek capital.

An easyJet flight from Milan was diverted to fellow Greek island Corfu, while a Wizz Air flight from Budapest was sent to Athens.

Another British Airways flight to London Heathrow was delayed by the crash.

And Jet2 flight to Edinburgh was delayed by more than an hour.

Zakynthos, the largest of the Ionian islands, was named as the most crowded holiday resort in Europe last year, with tourists outnumbering residents 150 to 1.

The island receives thousands of visitors each week during the summer months.

A specialist team later removed the aircraft and cleared the runway of debris, allowing flights to resume.