An Indian Air Force fighter jet crashed in Barmer on Thursday night, killing both of its pilots.
“During a training sortie this evening at 9:10 p.m., an IAF MiG 21 trainer aircraft encountered an accident in the western sector. Injury to both pilots resulted in death. IAF expresses its sincere condolences to the deceased families and laments the loss of life.
The IAF tweeted that a court of inquiry has been appointed to determine what caused the tragedy.
On Thursday night, the Utarlai air base in Barmer saw the twin-seat MiG 21 trainer aircraft take flight for a training sortie.
The impact of the crash, according to Rajasthan police earlier, was so great that they were unable to determine how many persons were in the jet.
Locals told the police about the crash about 9 o’clock, according to Barmer Deputy SP Jaggu Ram, who had arrived on the scene. Locals said they saw a fireball hit the ground and kill the pilots. Because of the hit, it is impossible to determine from the remnants whether there were two pilots or only one. Ram stated that the debris was dispersed over a kilometre.
In the jurisdiction of Baytu police station, the plane went down in the village of Isramon ka Tala. The settlement is located roughly 37 kilometres north of the district office.
“A local crowd has gathered. We’re attempting to manage the crowd. The Deputy SP reported that the SHO of the Baytu police station and others had arrived at the scene.
According to the Deputy SP, no locals were reported dead. Videos of the flaming wreckage of the aeroplane were posted online by locals; in one of the videos, a resident is heard saying that the collision caused a crater that was around 15 feet deep.
The news of two pilots being burned alive in a jet crash in Bhimda in the Barmer parliamentary seat is really sad, said Union minister and Lok Sabha member Kailash Choudhary. Today, the nation lost two sons. The district administration has been instructed to put out the fire immediately in this regard.
