Indian Air Force MiG-21 fighter aircraft crashed on Monday near Hanumangarh in Rajasthan during a routine training sortie. The aircraft had taken off from Suratgarh. The pilot and co-pilot jumped from the aircraft in time and landed safely with the help of a parachute. However, the aircraft crashed on a house causing the death of three civilians.


In a statement, the Indian Air Force informed that a MiG-21 fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed today morning at about 09:45 hours. "The aircraft had got airborne for a routine operational training sortie from the Air Force Station at Suratgarh. Soon thereafter, the pilot experienced an onboard emergency, following which he attempted to recover the aircraft as per existing procedures," the IAF added.


"Having failed to do so, he initiated an ejection, sustaining minor injuries in the process. The pilot was recovered from about 25 kilometres North East of Suratgarh base," the statement read.


The force mentioned that the aircraft wreckage fell on a house in Bahlol Nagar in Hanumangarh District, "unfortunately leading to the loss of three lives." "The IAF regrets the loss of lives and offers its deepest condolences to the bereaved families. A Court of Inquiry has been constituted to ascertain the cause of the accident," the statement read.










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IAF Aircraft Crash: Three Women Dead, Three Others Injured


According to news agency PTI, Inspector General, Bikaner range, Om Prakash said that the pilot made all efforts to avert human casualties and crash-landed the plane on the outskirts of a village.


Three women have died in the incident and three others are injured, he said.


Superintendent of Police, Hanumangarh, Sudheer Chaudhary said that the plane crashed on the house of one Ratti Ram, killing his wife Basho Kaur and two other women identified as Leela Devi and Banto Kaur. Burn injuries led to the death of the women, he said, as per PTI.


A local resident told PTI that he heard a loud sound and saw a parachute coming down. Within seconds, the plane crashed on the house of Ratti Ram, and wood stored in the house caught fire. Local people immediately began efforts to douse flames with the help of water and sand.


Fire brigade and police reached the spot and the women were taken to a hospital, the local resident told reporters in Hanumangarh.