A privately owned Fouga Magister jet crashed into the sea on Friday during an airshow near Lavandou, on France's Mediterranean coast, with a search underway to find the pilot, said local French authorities, Paralel.Az reports citing Reuters.

The airshow was part of a commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the allied forces' D-Day landings in Provence.

The French Air Force said in a statement that the crash did not concern an aircraft of the airforce's "Patrouille de France" aerobatics team but involved a Fouga Magister belonging to an association.

In a separate statement, the air force said that following the accident, the "Patrouille de France" had cancelled its aerial presentation.

"The pilots and the entire Air Force community would like to express their solidarity at this difficult time," it said.