A Yemeni military plane crashed Tuesday into a neighborhood in the country's capital, Sanaa, killing at least nine people and injuring 18, medical and security officials said.

The plane crashed during a training exercise, according to Interior Ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Mawry. It hit two houses in the al-Qadissiya district, al-Mawry told The Associated Press. He said the pilot was also killed in the crash.

The spokesman did not give a reason for the crash but said military experts were investigating the incident.

An eyewitness, Ahmed Fathi, said he saw five burnt bodies taken away by an ambulance. Fathi, who lives in the neighborhood, also said two houses were completely destroyed in the crash and that people were still believed to be under the rubble.

The neighborhood is close to the main city square that was the epicenter of Yemen's uprising and protests in the past two years.

Medical officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media, said the civilians killed in the crash included three women, two children and four men. They said there were more victims under the rubble.