A Jaguar aircraft belonging to the Indian Air Force (IAF) has crashed after taking off from Jamnagar base in Gujarat, said official sources. The official sources confirmed that the pilot of the IAF aircraft Air Commander Sanjay Chauhan has died in the crash.
"Today morning a Jaguar aircraft on a routine training mission from Jamnagar crashed around 10:30 hours. The pilot Air Cmde Sanjay Chauhan sustained fatal injuries during the crash. A CoI has been ordered to investigate cause of the accident," said defence spokesperson Manish Ojha.
"The plane, which was on a routine sortie, crashed near Bareja village," he said. Some cows grazing in the field were killed after being hit by the jet's debris, locals said.
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, they said.
Security agencies rushed to the spot and cordoned off the area, the locals added.
(With inputs from PTI)