Collision of Indian Air Force fighter planes leaves one pilot dead and two injured

Planes involved in crash said to be Russian fighter jet Sukhoi-30 and French fighter jet Mirage 2000

At least one Indian pilot was killed after two Indian Air Force (IAF) jets crashed during a training mission in central India on Saturday, officials from the air force said.

Two other pilots were injured in the crash, initially said to be a mid-air collision.

“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,” said a statement by the IAF.

The crash took place near Gwalior town in the central Madhya Pradesh state.

While the air force did not mention the type of aircraft involved in the crash, Indian media widely reported that they included a Russian fighter jet Sukhoi-30 and French fighter jet Mirage 2000.

Both aircraft had taken off from the Gwailor air base in Madhya Pradesh, officials said. The wreckage from the crash was found in the state’s Morena town.

Some aircraft wreckage was also found in neighbouring Rajasthan state’s Bharatpur.

It is, however, not yet clear if the wreckage found here was the same as the IAF wreckage or from different aircraft. Both towns are a little more than 100km apart.

Preliminary visuals from the crash site showed charred debris of the fighter jets as plumes of black smoke billowed from the debris.

At least two pilots were aboard the Sukhoi-30 fighter jet while the Mirage had one pilot on board, two sources in the defence sector said, according to a report by news channel NDTV.

The pilots on the Sukhoi managed to eject and were taken to the hospital in a helicopter from the site, the report added.

IAF officials have ordered an investigation to examine if a mid-air collision took place and caused the crash, reported NDTV.

“We have located the wreckage of one of the planes. The other plane has likely fallen further away from the site and we have sent teams to locate it,” police officer Dharmender Gaur told AFP news agency.

State chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan confirmed the news of fighter jets crash and said he has asked authorities for speedy rescue.

“The news of the crash of Sukhoi-30 and Mirage-2000 aircraft of the Air Force near Kolaras in Morena is very sad. I have instructed the local administration to cooperate with the Air Force in quick rescue and relief work. I pray to God that the pilots of the planes are safe,” the state chief minister said.

Prime minister Narendra Modi and Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh have not yet issued statements on the crash.