Indian Air Force MIG-21 Aircraft Crash Kills Three Civilians

NEW DELHI, May 8 (Bernama) -- An Indian Air Force MiG-21 aircraft crashed in Rajasthan state on Monday during a training flight, killing three civilians on the ground.

The crash happened near the Suratgarh air force base, with the wreckage falling on a house in the Bahlol Nagar area of the Hanumangarh district in north Rajasthan.

"The aircraft had got airborne for a routine operational training sortie from the Air Force Station at Suratgarh. Soon thereafter, the pilot experienced an onboard emergency, following which he attempted to recover the aircraft as per existing procedures. Having failed to do so, he initiated an ejection, sustaining minor injuries in the process," the air force said in a statement.

"The accident has unfortunately led to the loss of three lives," it added.

An inquiry has been set up to find out the cause of the accident.

India plans to retire its entire fleet of the ageing MiG-21s by 2025, according to local media reports.

In January this year, two air force fighter jets -- a Sukhoi-30 and a Mirage 2000 -- crashed during a routine training mission near Gwalior in central India.

One of the aircraft fell in Madhya Pradesh state and the other in Rajasthan.

-- BERNAMA