Both the pilots died in the Jaguar fighter jet crash in Rajasthan; investigations underway

New Delhi (India) July 10: A Jaguar fighter jet crashed near Bhanuda village in Rajasthan's Churu district on Wednesday. It has killed two pilots. Both the pilots were Indian Air Force (IAF) officers. 

This is the third time the Jaguar aircraft has been involved in a crash of this nature in the past five months.

Preliminary reports state that human remains in poor condition were discovered in a field with the aircraft wreckage.

IAF STATEMENT

The Indian Air Force said, "An IAF Jaguar Trainer aircraft met with an accident during a routine training mission and crashed near Churu in Rajasthan, today. Both pilots sustained fatal injuries in the accident. No damage to any civil property has been reported. IAF deeply regrets the loss of lives and stands firmly with the bereaved families in this time of grief” in a statement.

The Indian Airforce has said that a court of inquiry has been set to determine the accident's cause.

The plane went down while on a training flight. The IAF has several air bases in Rajasthan, including significant ones in Bikaner and Jodhpur.

ACCIDENT SITE

According to local police official Rajaldesar Kamlessh, the plane crashed in an agricultural field in Bhanuda village at approximately 1:25 pm. 

According to him, body parts were discovered spread at the scene of the collision. The villagers said they heard a loud noise in the sky. They saw smoke and flames rising from the fields. Residents said they tried to contain the fire on their own after the crash caused it to spread to neighbouring fields.

Police units and District Collector Abhishek Surana hurried to the scene. In order to secure the area and support the investigation, an Army rescue team is anticipated to arrive at the location. 

The cause of the crash has not yet been identified. 

Rajasthan cabinet minister Rajyavardhan Rathore expressed his condolences for the deaths of Flight Lieutenant Rishi Raj Singh and Squadron Leader Lokender Singh Sindhu.

The IAF has not disclosed the identities of the pilots. There were no reports of civilian property damage. Security personnel later surrounded the area.

ACCOUNTABILITY OF JAGUAR FIGHTER JET

The accident that occurred yesterday has once again highlighted how safe these Jaguar fighters are. The majority of these were constructed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in 1979. The technology was transferred from SEPECAT. It is a joint venture between the British Aircraft Corporation and Breguet, France.

These low flying fighter bombers are currently only flown by the Indian Air Force. Jaguars have been retired in nations like Nigeria, Oman, Ecuador, Britain and France. 

In the past five months, there have been three Jaguar crashes. On March 7, a Jaguar crashed in Ambala. The crash was later given to a technical malfunction. The pilot safely ejected the aircraft.

Another Jaguar twin-seater trainer plane went down on April 2 in the Gujarati city of Jamnagar. One of the two pilots aboard died but the other lived.

Aadrika Tayal