Jaipur/New Delhi: Two pilots of the Indian Air Force (IAF) were killed on Wednesday morning in a crash of a Jaguar fighter jet near Churu in Rajasthan, the third such accident since March involving the twin-engine bomber.
The IAF said a court of inquiry has been constituted to ascertain the cause of the accident.
“An IAF Jaguar Trainer aircraft met with an accident during a routine training mission and crashed near Churu in Rajasthan, today,” it said in a brief statement.
“Both pilots sustained fatal injuries in the accident. No damage to any civil property has been reported,” it said.
The IAF said it “deeply regrets” the loss of lives and stands firmly with the bereaved families in this time of grief.
“A court of inquiry has been constituted, to ascertain the cause of the accident,” it said.
The IAF is yet to make public the names of the deceased pilots.
Earlier, Rajasthan Police officials said the jet crashed at around 1.25 pm.
The aircraft crashed in an agriculture field in Bhanoda village around 1.25 pm, SHO of Rajaldesar, Kamlesh, said. He said human body parts were found near the crash site.
Shortly after the crash, locals rushed to the site and found burning debris.
Policemen from Rajaldesar and Ratangarh police stations, fire brigade and ambulance also rushed to the spot, Ratangarh Circle Officer Anil Kumar said.
It was the third incident involving Jaguar aircraft.
On March 7, a Jaguar fighter jet crashed following a system malfunction shortly after taking off from the Ambala air base. The pilot had maneuvered the aircraft away from any habitation on ground, before ejecting safely.
On April 2, another Jaguar jet crashed at a village near Jamnagar IAF station in Gujarat following a technical snag. The aircraft was on a training mission.
One pilot was killed in the accident while the other sustained injuries.
Jaguar is a British-French fighter aircraft that was originally deployed in the British Royal Air Force and the French Air Force. The first flight of the Jaguar took place on September 8, 1968.
India started inducting the jet in the late 70s.
India inducted 116 Jaguars out of which 70 were produced under licence in the country.
The French Air Force flew the jet until July 2005, while the Royal Air Force used it till the end of April 2007.
