A U.S. Air Force drone monitoring pirates off the East African coast crashed in the airport of Seychelles on Tuesday.

The crash of the unmanned and unarmed MQ-9 Reaper at the end of the airport's runway caused no injury and damage, according to officials at the U.S. embassy in Mauritius. It caught fire upon crashing but firefighters quickly put it out.

The drone had just taken off when it suddenly developed mechanical problem and returned to the airport in Victoria to land, the Associated Press quoted Lina Laurence of Seychelles' civilian aviation authority as saying. But it landed too fast and failed to stop at the end of the runway.

The airport was closed for 10 minutes to clear debris.

The embassy staff said an investigation of the crash is ongoing.

The Seychelles airport host U.S. drones used for monitoring piracy activities in the Indian Ocean. It is equipped with sensors and can be armed.

The crash of the MQ-9 Reaper came 10 days after a U.S. drone was captured over Iran's North Khorasan Province. The drone was not damaged and Iranian experts are now examining its parts to replicate it.