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CatastropheIndia

India: Pilot killed after 2 fighter jets crash

January 28, 2023

The Sukhoi Su-30 and Mirage 2000 jets crashed during a training mission in the central state of Madhya Pradesh. Two of the three pilots were found alive and injured.

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People gather around the debris of a crashed aircraft in Bharatpur, Rajasthan
Two pilots were injured, while a third died of after being injured in the crashImage: ANI via REUTERS

Two Indian air force fighter jets — a Sukhoi Su-30 and a Mirage 2000 —crashed during routine exercises around in the central state of Madhya Pradesh on Saturday.

The Su-30 jet had two pilots while the Mirage had one pilot. Of the three, two pilots who managed to eject in time have been found by search and rescue officers said they had been injured, New Delhi Television (NDTV) reported citing officials.

A third pilot sustained fatal injuries, India's air force later reported on Twitter.

Both the fighter jets had taken off from the Gwalior Air Force base, 30 miles away from where the wreckage was found.

"We have located the wreckage of one of the planes and found an injured pilot in the Pahadgarh forests," officer Dharmender Gaur said from the scene of the crash.

"The other plane has likely fallen further away from the site and we have sent teams to locate it," he told news agency AFP.

Videos taken by locals in Morena, Madhya Pradesh showed fire and debris from the crash.

How has India responded to the crash?

The air force has launched a probe into the incident to determine if the jets crashed due to a mid-air collision, NDTV reported citing defense sources.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan called for cooperation between India's air force and the local administration to ensure quick rescue and relief.

Meanwhile, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh has been briefed about the incident, according to news agency Press Trust of India.

mk/jcg (AFP, AP)