ABUJA - A Nigerian air force plane crashed on Friday in the central city of Makurdi while on a routine training exercise, the air force said, but there were no fatalities.

The two pilots aboard survived after successfully ejecting from the aircraft, and no lives were lost or properties damaged around the crash site, air force spokesman air commodore Edward Gabkwe said in a statement.

The pilots are under observation at an air force hospital in Makurdi, 184 km (114 miles) east of Abuja, Nigeria's capital, while the air force authorities have begun investigations to determine the cause of the crash, he said.

(Reporting by Camillus Eboh; Writing by Elisha Bala-Gbogbo; Editing by Bill Berkrot)