On Saturday afternoon, a fighter plane of the Indian Air Forces crashed in Bharatpur, Rajasthan. Locals first thought the jet was a chartered aircraft. Alok Ranjan, the district collector, announced that authorities and police had been dispatched to the area. Reports indicate that a potential technical issue caused the plane to crash.
Received info about a plane crash around 10-10.15 am. After coming here, it was found it was an IAF fighter jet. Going by the debris, we’re unable to adjudge if it’s a fighter plane or a regular plane. Yet to know if pilots got out or are still in: Bharatpur DSP at Bharatpur, Raj pic.twitter.com/W9BupSKU8B— ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2023
Bharatpur Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) who was on the spot stated that the plane was an Indian Airforce Force (IAF) fighter jet. We can’t tell whether it’s a fighter plane or a conventional plane based on the wreckage. We are still unsure whether the pilot got out or is still inside (the plane), he said.
“Prima facie it’s difficult to say whether it’s a defence fighter plane or helicopter as the intensity of the fire was so high that it crashed into air,” said Bharatpur Superintendent of Police (SP) Shyam Singh later in an interview with India Today.
The SP stated that the plane’s pilot had ejected, and searches are currently being conducted to locate him. “I have reached the spot. Officials from the defence unit are here. We are making the effort to trace the pilot,” added the SP.
Fortunately, no causalities are reported so far.
Meanwhile, at 5:30 in the morning, Sukhoi Su-30 and Mirage 2000 fighter jets from the Indian Air Force crashed near Morena in Madhya Pradesh while participating in a training exercise, officials announced on Saturday. Defence sources reported that the Sukhoi Su-30 had two pilots while the Mirage 2000 only had one.
#WATCH | Wreckage seen. A Sukhoi-30 and Mirage 2000 aircraft crashed near Morena, Madhya Pradesh. Search and rescue operations launched. The two aircraft had taken off from the Gwalior air base where an exercise was going on. pic.twitter.com/xqCJ2autOe— ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2023
According to reports, two pilots who were able to evacuate are safe while one succumbed to his injuries. The survivors were taken to a hospital.
Two fighter aircraft of IAF were involved in an accident near Gwalior today morning. The aircraft were on routine operational flying training mission.
One of the three pilots involved, sustained fatal injuries. An inquiry has been ordered to determine the cause of the accident.
Initial reports indicated that the planes were on a training exercise when they purportedly took off from the Gwalior air base. A court of inquiry will determine the accident’s precise cause.
SP Morena also provided information about the collision.
#WATCH | “Two jets -Mirage & Sukhoi- took off from Gwalior in the morning…As per IAF, one aircraft had 2 pilots, while the other had one; 2 safely rescued, body parts of 3rd found. Some parts of the jet were found in Bharatpur (Raj), details being collected,” says SP Morena, MP pic.twitter.com/9vimLkUtoN— ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2023
Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, said he has directed the local government to coordinate with the air force to conduct swift rescue and relief operations.
मुरैना के कैलारस के पास वायुसेना के सुखोई-30 और मिराज-2000 विमानों के दुर्घटनाग्रस्त होने की खबर अत्यंत दुखद है। मैंने स्थानीय प्रशासन को त्वरित बचाव एवं राहत कार्य में वायुसेना के सहयोग के निर्देश दिए हैं। विमानों के पायलट के सुरक्षित होने की ईश्वर से कामना करता हूं।
— Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) January 28, 2023The administration immediately initiated an investigation to see whether the two accidents were related after hearing about the collision and the wreckage discovered at both locations. To determine whether the wreckage discovered in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur is related to the planes that crashed in MP’s Morena, an IAF also travelled there.
Defence sources reported that IAF chief Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari briefed Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on the two aircraft’s crash. They stated that the defence minister is closely observing the developments.