A Royal Malaysian Air Force technician was killed when the ejection seat of a Hawk 108 aircraft he was seated in was accidentally activated, a report said today.

In the tragic incident at an airbase in Penang, six junior technicians were injured, the New Straits Times newspaper said.

Airforce spokesman Roslan Salam said the seven were carrying out maintenance work when the ejection seat suddenly blasted off.

The seat shot out from the cockpit of the jet trainer, hit the roof of the hangar and fell to the ground, killing the 25-year-old technician Shawn Christopher Chew instantly.

The six others, who were nearby, were hit by the wreckage of the seat. They were admitted to a hospital. The airforce has set up a board of inquiry into the incident.