A senior Indian Air Force (IAF) officer, Air Commodore Sanjai Chauhan, died after the Jaguar fighter jet he was piloting crashed in Gujarat’s Kutch district, on Tuesday, 5 June, reported ANI.
The Jaguar aircraft was on a routine training mission and had taken off from the Jamnagar air base. The crash occurred around 10:30 am, defence spokesperson Lt Col Manish Ojha was quoted by PTI as saying.
The cause of the crash, which happened soon after the aircraft took off, is not known yet. However, the IAF has ordered a Court of Inquiry.
Chauhan, the Air Officer Commanding Air Force Station in Jamnagar, who was flying the deep penetration Jaguar fighter jet, died when the plane crashed in a field in Bareja village.
The pilot, Air Commodore Sanjai Chauhan, sustained fatal injuries in the crash.Lt Col Manish Ojha, Defence spokesperson
The accident also killed the cattle grazing in a field, as they were hit by the aircraft’s debris.
The plane's debris was strewn far and wide on the outskirts of the village and carcasses of the killed animals were seen lying in the field, locals told PTI.
Security agencies rushed to the spot and cordoned off the area, the locals added.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)