One pilot was killed and the other seriously injured in a plane crash involving two fighter jets in India.
“Two IAF fighter jets were involved in an accident near Gwalior this morning. wrote in a statement on Twitter. “One of the three pilots involved suffered fatal injuries.”
“An investigation has been ordered to determine the cause of the accident.”
Saturday morning’s crash involved a Russian-made, two-pilot Sukhoi Su-30 and a French-made, single-pilot Mirage 2000.
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People stand next to a wrecked plane after a Sukhoi Su-30 and Dassault Mirage 2000 fighter jet crashed during an exercise in the Pahadgarh area, some 30 miles from Gwailor, on January 28, 2023. (AFP via Getty Images)
The planes crashed in an open field near civilians. Villagers heard an explosion-like sound and found parts of an airplane in the nearby field.
People stand next to a wrecked plane after a Sukhoi Su-30 and Dassault Mirage 2000 fighter jet crashed during an exercise in the Pahadgarh area, some 30 miles from Gwailor, on January 28, 2023. (AFP via Getty Images)
While local outlets initially reported no known fatalities, the IAF reported that Wing Commander Hanumanth Rao Sarathi suffered fatal injuries, adding that “all Air Warriors and the Brotherhood stand firm with the bereaved family.”
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Both planes were identified as they took off from Gwalior Air Force Base, about 30 miles east of where they crashed, the BBC reported. Police found a plane with an injured but alive pilot in the Padargarh woods.
In this handout photo provided by the US Air Force, an Indian Air Force M-2000 Mirage waits to taxi to the runway (R) as a US Air Force F-15C Eagle (L) takes off February 13, 2004 at Gwalior Air Force Station in India. (Keith Brown/US Air Force via Getty Images)
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The IAF confirmed that an Air Force team reached the second plane and found a hand near one of the crash sites, according to the Hindustan Times.
Saturday’s crash is the latest in a string of crashes the IAF has had to deal with in recent months, according to the BBC.
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Five soldiers died in October when their helicopter crashed near the border with China, and Indian Defense Forces chief General Bipin Rawat was one of more than a dozen killed in another helicopter crash when the vehicle struck a hill and entered flames went up.
Peter Aitken is a reporter at Fox News Digital specializing in national and global news.