Two Indian Air Force aircraft — Sukhoi-30 and Mirage 2000 — have crashed near Morena in Madhya Pradesh, news agency ANI reported. According to the report, the two planes took off from the Gwalior air base in Madhya Pradesh where an exercise was going on. Additional Director General of Police Adarsh Katiyar told PTI that the cause of the crash is not clear yet and two pilots out of the three involved, are reported safe. One of the pilots, however, sustained fatal injuries, the IAF has confirmed. The Defence Ministry sources said that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has been briefed by IAF chief on the crash of two aircraft. “Defence Minister enquired about the well-being of the IAF pilots and is monitoring the developments closely,” Defence Ministry sources added.
The news agency has tweeted a video in which the wreckage of the crashed planes can been seen.
#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
Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan tweeted about the crash and said that local administration have been instructed to cooperate with the Air Force in quick rescue and relief work.
The search and rescue operations have been launched in the area. More details awaited on the crash.