South Korean navy patrol aircraft crashes in country's south

South Korea's navy said a maritime patrol aircraft with four people on board crashed near a military base in the southern city of Pohang on Thursday, Reuters reported.

The crash happened at 1:43 p.m. (0443 GMT), the South Korean navy said in a statement.

The navy was trying to confirm the cause of the accident and the number of casualties, it said.

Earlier, the Yonhap News Agency reported the plane crashed in the mountains on the east coast, citing authorities.

Smoke was seen from the location where the plane appeared to have crashed, Yonhap said, citing a civilian witness.