Defence Minister Branko Vukelic said on Thursday afternoon that a commission of inquiry had been set up to establish the causes of the crashes of two Croatian Air Force MiG-21 aircraft earlier in the day.
Both pilots ejected.
"Fortunately, both pilots survived the accident, and they are now on the way to the hospital. I hope they are well," the minister said entering the government's building for a meeting of Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor's cabinet.
Vukelic said that as soon as the commission had the first findings, they would be made public.
Asked how many aircraft remained in the Croatian Air Force, the minister said that there were six planes now.
"We have enough airplanes to protect and control our air space," he said.
The accident occurred shortly before 1pm at the Eugen Kvaternik training ground outside Slunj, about 80 kilometres south of Zagreb, during a military exercise.
An eye-witness at the site of the crash at the Hum hill near the village of Licki Podhum said that the planes collided in the air.
