VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., April 9 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy said it would pay initial compensation of $2,300 per person to residents of the Virginia Beach apartment complex where a fighter jet crashed.
The initial payments are to cover immediate needs such as housing, meals and clothes, CNN reported.
"We are committed to doing the right thing to address the needs of these families, who through no fault of their own have endured an incredible hardship," said Rear Adm. Tim Alexander, commander of the Navy's Mid-Atlantic region. "We owe it to everyone affected by Friday's accident to help them get their life back together."
Alexander said counseling and legal help also would be available.
The F/A-18 fighter jet had "catastrophic mechanical malfunction" during takeoff Friday, spewing jet fuel over Virginia Beach before crashing. Five apartment buildings set on fire in the incident were damaged, and seven people -- the two pilots and five others -- were treated for injuries. No one was killed.
The plane, part of a training squadron, was not carrying live ordnance. It crashed 2.2 miles from the runway, a senior Defense Department official told CNN.
