3 civilians killed as IAF’s MiG-21 jet crashes in Rajasthan, pilot safe

Hanumangarh SP Sudheer Choudhary said the aircraft crashed in the district’s Bahlolnagar village. “Two women died on the spot while a third, who was critically injured, died in the hospital. Three persons sustained injuries too,” he said.

#WATCH | Indian Air Force MiG-21 fighter aircraft crashed near Hanumangarh in Rajasthan. Two civilian women died and a man was injured in the incident, the pilot sustained minor injuries. pic.twitter.com/z4BZBsECVV

— ANI (@ANI) May 8, 2023

The deceased were identified as Leela Devi, 55, wife of Rampratap; Bansho Kaur, 45, wife of Ratan Singh alias Ratiram; and Banto, 60, wife of Lal Singh. The injured are undergoing treatment at a government hospital. Kuldeep Moond, former sarpanch of Bahlolnagar, said the deceased “women were not related. They were at Bansho Kaur’s home when the aircraft crashed.”

A MiG-21 aircraft of the IAF crashed near Suratgarh during a routine training sortie. The pilot ejected safely, sustaining minor injuries. An inquiry has been constituted to ascertain the cause of the accident: Indian Air Force pic.twitter.com/sP37zmo7k0

— ANI (@ANI) May 8, 2023

In a statement, the IAF said, “A MiG-21 fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed today morning at about 0945 hours. 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 pilot was recovered from about 25 kilometres North East of Suratgarh base. The aircraft wreckage fell on a house in Bahlol Nagar in Hanumangarh district, unfortunately leading to the loss of three lives,” it added.

The IAF said it “regrets the loss of lives and offers its deepest condolences” to the bereaved families.

Those with serious injuries include Bansho’s daughters Saroj and Vimla, both about 18 years old, and Veerpal Kaur, 32, while a few others sustained minor injuries. Bansho’s brother in law, Seturam, told The Indian Express that one of his nieces can’t see anything and is being treated upon by doctors, while the other is also in a very serious condition.

SP Choudhary added, “The rescue operation has been completed and the bodies have been removed from the spot. An officer of Wing Commander rank has also reached the spot.”

Seturam said the administration has assured an ex gratia sum of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of each of the deceased. All the affected families are those below the poverty line and hence the government should also provide jobs to the next of kin, Kuldeep mentioned.

“Apart from Bansho’s home, which was flattened in the impact of the crash, the neighbouring houses belonging to Narendra and Lal Singh have also been damaged. They have developed cracks and parts have fallen off,” Seturam revealed. Kuldeep added that the families were unable to enter the homes.

The single-engine, single-seater multi-role fighter/ground attack MiG-21 aircraft, among the six fighter planes flown by the IAF, were first inducted in 1963 as interceptor aircraft.

The IAF has planned to phase out all remaining squadrons of MiG-21s by 2025. Last year, the No. 51 squadron based in Srinagar was number plated, which in IAF parlance means that the squadron was retired from service. Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman, who was responsible for downing enemy aircraft in the aftermath of the Balakot strikes in 2019, was from this squadron.