NEW DELHI – At least two Indian air force jets crashed in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh early Saturday.
Initial reports in Indian media claimed that pilots flying Su-30 and Mirage 2000 managed to eject safely, and received injuries in the incident.
Videos and pictures shared on social media show fire along with the debris of crashed jets. The crashed aircraft took off from the Gwalior air base to take part in the ongoing drill.
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 #MadhyaPradesh #PlaneCrash #IAF pic.twitter.com/2yULRLlHE3
— News18 (@CNNnews18) January 28, 2023
In a statement, Indian defence officials said ‘A Sukhoi-30 and Mirage 2000 aircraft crashed near Morena, Madhya Pradesh. Search and rescue operations have been launched.’
Indian force also ordered a court of inquiry to establish whether there was a mid-air collision or not.
The fighter jets, which are dubbed “flying coffins” by Indian media, are being used by the Indian air force despite they have long past their retirement.
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The Indian air force has a poor safety record as several pilots were killed over the years in deadly accidents caused by aging aircraft.
More to follow…
