A Jaguar fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed in Gujarat’s Jamnagar district, with one pilot rescued while efforts continue to locate the other, officials confirmed on Wednesday.
Jamnagar Collector Ketan Thakkar stated that the aircraft went down in an open area, avoiding civilian casualties. Emergency response teams, including the Air Force, fire department, and police, were immediately deployed to the crash site.
“One pilot has been rescued and shifted to the hospital. The fire at the crash site has been extinguished. Fortunately, there has been no impact on civilian areas,” Thakkar said.
Superintendent of Police Prem Sukh Delu added that search and rescue operations are ongoing for the second pilot.
“There were two pilots in the Jaguar trainer aircraft. While one has been safely rescued and hospitalized, efforts are underway to locate and rescue the second pilot,” Delu stated.
This incident follows a similar crash on March 7, when another IAF Jaguar fighter jet went down near Ambala, Haryana, during a routine training sortie. The pilot in that case ejected safely after encountering a technical malfunction.
The IAF has initiated a Court of Inquiry to determine the cause of the latest crash.