PARIS, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- The search for the two crew members of a Mirage 2000D fighter jet that crashed in a mountainous region in eastern France continued on Thursday, said French Defense Minister Florence Parly on Thursday.

"The search operation is ongoing ...Gendarmerie, civil security, firefighters and of course the army are working hard," said Parly.

She expressed uncertainty over the fate of the two crew members.

"Many uncertainties persist, many questions remain, that's why the priority is to know about the crew's fate," Parly told gathering at the National Office for Studies and Aerospace Research (Onera), south Paris.

A French Mirage 2000D fighter jet disappeared from radar screens on Wednesday noon as it was flying over the Jura Mountains near the Swiss border as part of a routine training exercice.

There has been no contact with the two pilots, a woman and a man, since the jet vanished.

Local media reported a parachute and the wreck of the aircraft was found near Mignovillard in the Jura region late on Wednesday.

An investigation was launched to identify the incident's cause.