Sukhoi-30 and Mirage 2000 fighter jets crash near Madhya Pradesh’s Morena
Two Indian Air Force fighter jets – a Sukhoi-30 and Mirage 2000 aircraft – crashed near Morena, in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, on Saturday. Search and rescue operations have been launched.
The two fighter jets had taken off from the Gwalior airbase in MP where an exercise was going on, sources mentioned. There was one pilot onboard the Mirage 2000 aircraft and two onboard the Sukhoi-30. Two of the pilots, according to initial reports, have been ejected safely but received injuries in the tragedy, while an IAF chopper has been dispatched to rescue the third pilot.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was briefed by the IAF chief VR Chaudhari on the crash, defence sources told India Today. Singh enquired about the well-being of the pilots and is continuously monitoring the situation.
Videos shared by locals showed debris from the fighter jets on the ground.
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The IAF has ordered a court of inquiry to establish whether a mid-air collision was involved.
“I have instructed the local administration to cooperate with the Air Force in quick rescue and relief work,” Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan tweeted.
Meanwhile, another aircraft crashed today in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur district, 100 km away. The aircraft crashed in an open field in the Ucchain area of the city, Superintendent of Police Shyam Singh informed.
“Received information about a … crash around 10 – 10:15 am,” news agency ANI cited a police officer as saying. However, it was not immediately clear whether it was a helicopter or a plane. Authorities have also so far been unable to adjudge whether it was a civil or military aircraft, NDTV reported.
