Two civilians were killed after an Indian Air Force MiG-21 crashed on top of their house in Rajasthan's Hanumangarh on Monday morning, police said.
The pilot of the aircraft, however, ejected safely with minor injuries, the IAF said adding a military helicopter has reached the accident site for rescue operations.
#WATCH | Indian Air Force MiG-21 fighter aircraft crashed near Hanumangarh in Rajasthan. Two civilian women died and a man was injured in the incident, the pilot sustained minor injuries. pic.twitter.com/z4BZBsECVV
— ANI (@ANI) May 8, 2023
#WATCH | Indian Air Force MiG-21 fighter aircraft crashed near Hanumangarh in Rajasthan. The aircraft had taken off from Suratgarh. The pilot is safe. More details awaited: IAF Sources pic.twitter.com/0WOwoU5ASi
— ANI (@ANI) May 8, 2023
According to Superintendent of Police (SP), Hanumangarh, Sudheer Chaudhary, the mishap took place in Bahlolnagar. The police official said that the civilians-two women were killed and one man sustained injuries as the MiG crashed on top of their house. The crashed aircraft had taken off from Suratgarh for a routine training sortie.
The Indian Air Force has ordered a court of inquiry to ascertain the cause of the accident. The MiG-21 fleet is on its last leg and all the remaining three aircraft from the fleet are planned to be poached out by 2025.Earlier in January, one pilot lost his life after two IAF fighter jets - a Sukhoi-30 and a Mirage 2000 - crashed during a training exercise.
While one aircraft crashed in Morena in Madhya Pradesh, the other crashed and landed in Rajasthan's Bharatpur.
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