Two pilots are taken to hospital after ejecting from the Hawk T1 jet near RNAS Culdrose.

We are finishing our live updates for the day but will continue to bring you the latest news on our main story here.

Miles Davis
BBC News Online

Military personnel are now at the site of the jet crash.

Here is what we know so far:

• The Royal Navy Hawk T1 jet crashed in woodland in Cornwall at about 09:30 GMT
• The two pilots ejected from the aircraft and were flown to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth - their injuries are not thought to be life-threatening
• The pilots were from the 736 Naval Air Squadron based at the Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Culdrose near Helston - about nine miles (14.5km) from the crash site
• Defence minister and Plymouth MP Johnny Mercer told the BBC the crash was caused by "suspected engine failure"
• Witnesses described a "massive impact explosion" and an "almighty crashing sound"

• Dozens of emergency service workers have been at the site at St Martin on the Lizard peninsula throughout the day
• Police said debris from the aircraft was spread across "multiple locations"
• Royal Navy staff are now in charge of the recovery operation and the Ministry of Defence will carry out an investigation into the crash "in due course"

The Royal Navy Hawk aircraft which crashed in woodland in Cornwall was from the 736 Naval Air Squadron.

It's based at RNAS Culdrose, near Helston on the Lizard Peninsula

Personnel use the Hawk T1 two-seater training aircraft for simulating ship attacks.

The Hawk jets are marked with the distinctive lightning bolt of the squadron.

RNAS Culdrose is also a base for Royal Navy Merlin helicopters, specialising in anti-submarine warfare.

Source: Royal Navy, external

Some of the debris from a Hawk jet that crashed near Helston earlier landed in a farmer's field.

Images from the scene show firefighters assessing the wreckage of the plane, which was from the 736 Naval Air Squadron based at RNAS Culdrose.

Two pilots, who ejected from the plane before it crashed, were airlifted to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, but are not thought to have life-threatening or life-changing injuries.

BBC South West reporter Johnny O'Shea is live at the scene.

There are about 50 Hawk jets in the UK and 650 worldwide, according to an aviation expert.

Craig Hoyle, editor of Flight International, said the planes had one engine and were 40 to 45 years old but were very well-maintained,

"It is an extremely rare accident and the great news is the pilots are both in good condition I understand," he said.

"I believe there is a suggestion from the MoD there may have been an engine fault."

Mr Hoyle said the single engine meant that "if your engine goes and you haven't got much height you can't get back to the airfield to land".

He said the Hawk was a "very safe aircraft" with the only accidents he could think of involving the Red Arrows.

He added: "There was an ejection sadly involving a fatality at RAF [Valley on] Anglesey in 2018."

What is thought to be the parachute and ejector seat of one of the pilots involved in the jet crash has been found.

The parachute was hanging in a tree on farmland near St Martin.

Both pilots were flown to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth. Their injuries are thought not to be life-threatening.

The Royal Navy Hawk aircraft which crashed into woodland was based out of RNAS Culdrose in Helston, Cornwall.

RNAS Culdrose is one of the largest helicopter bases in Europe.

It has 3,000 personnel and is home to Royal Navy Merlin helicopters, specialising in anti-submarine warfare.

It's one of the biggest employers in Cornwall.

Source: Royal Navy, external

Johnny O'Shea
BBC News Online

The fire service took control of the incident itself, while the ambulance service dealt with the casualties and the police handled the cordon.

A critical incident is still ongoing while the emergency services await the arrival of the military to take over.

Police at the scene told the BBC there were small explosives within the aircraft mechanisms that could pose a "small risk".

Miles Davis
BBC News Online

Police at the crash scene are searching for debris from the aircraft.

Insp Reg Butler-Card said the debris was spread over "multiple locations".

He said: "We are still looking for that debris and what we would say to the public is that if you see something then don't touch it, dial 999 straight away because that stuff could be hazardous."

Insp Butler-Card said there was "quite a significant debris site".

A police inspector at the scene of a Navy jet crash near Helston said military plane crashes were "really unusual".

Insp Reg Butler-Card said accidents did happen occasionally.

He added: "If the pilots landed here intentionally it is testament to their skill."

Johnny O'Shea
BBC News Online

The plane crashed into a small woodland at the bottom of a field.

The police have allowed us to within about 50m of the debris, but the only evidence of the crash is a hole in a hedge and the strong smell of fuel.

A river that runs through the woodland has been dammed by the fire service to reduce the risk of fuel getting into the water.

Amy Gladwell
BBC News Online

A desk-worker at home half a mile from the crash site has described the rumbling she heard when it hit.

"I heard an unusual banging and rumbling like a huge piece of machinery going over a cattle grid," she said.

"I assumed it was just exactly that, coming from the local farm. But then the sirens, police cars, fire engines, coastguard came tearing past the house and I knew something bad had happened."

Image source, Vanessa Glossop

"The plane has gone down in a pretty inaccessible place so they are doing a great job," she added.

"It was very surreal."

Johnny O'Shea
BBC News Online

The jet crash left a hole in a hedge in farmland where the aircraft came down.

Insp Reg Butler-Card, the duty inspector at the scene, said the aircraft had "a wide debris field".

The Hawk jet is understood to have crashed through trees and landed in a wooded valley.

A farm worker who said he rushed to help the two pilots after they parachuted from their plane said they seemed OK and were chatting when he found them.

David Hosken, from Mudgeon Farm, said he was putting silage in for the cows when he heard an "unbelievable bang".

"We looked up and could see between the two sheds that there was two men parachuting out of a jet," he said.

"We raced on the quad bike up across the field to see if we could find where the jet was heading.

"It was banking to the left away from the river."

Mr Hosken said they then decided to try to find the two people who had ejected from the plane.

He said: "When we got to where they were, they were both chatting, seeming OK."

Louise Jinks, 62, from Caervallack, St Martin, said she was out on her morning walk when she heard two bangs.

"I thought to myself what on earth was that - looked up and saw a jet coming towards me across the field, it seemed a bit too low.

"Living near Culdrose we are used to seeing them low but this was 'too' low, then it started to nose dive into the wood.

"I stood in disbelief as trees and wood started splintering up in the air with a cracking and then the almighty crashing sound.

"It was both scary and surreal.”

Chris Ellis
BBC News Online

A dog walker said she heard a "massive impact explosion" when a jet crashed in a field in Cornwall.

Emma Davis, 46, from Falmouth, was walking her dogs along the Helford River when the crash happened.

She said it took her about 10 minutes to process was she had witnessed.

"It was just surreal. I never want to see it again.”

Miles Davis
BBC News Online

Image source, Richard Cooper/Cornwall in Focus

• A Royal Navy Hawk aircraft crashed in countryside on the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall at about 09:30 GMT
• Two pilots ejected from the aircraft and have been flown to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth and are understood not to have suffered life-threatening injuries
• The pilots were from the 736 Naval Air Squadron based at the Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Culdrose at nearby Helston
• Witnesses described the jet flying low overhead and one said she heard a "clunk" before the pilots ejected
• Dozens of emergency service workers are at the scene of the crash in woodland near St Martin which is south of the Helford River
• Veterans minister and Plymouth MP Johnny Mercer told the BBC the crash was caused by "suspected engine failure"
• The MoD has said an investigation into the crash "will begin in due course"

A woman who lives near the crash site says she saw the jet flying "a bit low" shortly before it crashed.

Tina Searle, who lives on a farm near St Martin in the RNAS Culdrose flight path, said she was driving when she saw the plane "going across the front of me sideways and it straightened out".

She said: "I thought it was a bit low as I could see it more clearly than I could normally see them, but I just thought they’re doing a manoeuvre or something.

"Then a few minutes later I saw the emergency service vehicles screaming down."

She added that her "heart skipped a few beats when I read the news".