According to reports, a US Air Force F-16 jet dropped two auxiliary fuel tanks into a fresh water lake in South Korea after the pilot suspected an emergency was about to happen.

A US Air Force F-16 jet dropped two auxiliary fuel tanks into a fresh water lake in South Korea after the pilot suspected an emergency was about to happen, military officials told local media on Friday.

"The pilot abandoned the fuel tanks after detecting suspected problems with the fuselage. He unsuccessfully attempted to locate the tanks," an Air Force official told the Yonhap news agency.

The incident occurred last Wednesday not far from a US air base in the southwestern city of Gunsan. The official said they were searching for the tanks to prevent an oil leak. The tanks contained each some 360 gallons of fuel.