"It startled me, it sounded like a bomb explosion," said 14-year-old G. Sharvinther, who was at the Sri Muneeswaraswami Devasthanam Temple when a Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) aircraft crashed here today.

He said he was about to pray when he heard the loud explosion at about 5pm.

"I ran out of the temple to see what happened and saw smoke coming out from the airbase. A few minutes later there was sound of ambulance sirens," he told Bernama when met.

The distance between the temple and the site of the crash was about 100 metres.

Sharvinther said it was normal to hear the noise of aircraft flying over the area, but today it was totally different.

He said he did not know what actually happened until informed by an uncle that a plane had crashed.

Meanwhile, a resident of Kampung Pekan Darat, Mohd Fazil Awang, 53, said he was riding a motorcycle and on his way back from the mosque when he heard a loud noise and saw smoke coming from the airbase.

Before the explosion, Mohd Fazil said he saw a light aircraft which had flown too low and thought it was about to land on the runway.

"I saw two aircraft in training exercise since morning. When I saw the thick smoke I rushed to the nearest food stall before hearing the sirens of the ambulance and fire engine, " he added.

He said he and a few other people tried to get closer to the area, but they were restrained by RMAF personnel.

"We were told that a plane had crashed and ordered to leave the area," he added. -- BERNAMA