A pall of gloom has descended on the Patiyalkar village in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh after news reports emerged about the crashing of a Tejas fighter jet at the Dubai Air Show.
Wing Commander Naman Syal, who hails from the village, lost his life in the accident that cast a tragic shadow on the last day of the event.
Syal (34) is survived by his wife, six-year-old daughter and his parents.
"We received information about the crash around 5:00 pm, when his father called me and told me to watch the news. People of the village have gathered here and all are very sad,” said Joginder Nath Syal, his uncle.
Naman’s parents were staying at the Sulur Air Force Station in Coimbatore. His wife, who is also an Indian Air Force officer, was in Kolkata for attending a training programme.
“His father, Jagannath Syal, served in the Indian Army's Medical Corps and later worked in the education department, retiring as a principal. The entire village is very sad today,” said Ramesh Kumar, one of the relatives.
The single-engine light weight aircraft crashed around 3.40 pm (IST) on Friday after the pilot had flown across the site of the prestigious air show during the demonstration flight.
The IAF has ordered a court of enquiry to ascertain the cause of the accident, while Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), the manufacturer of the aircraft, said it was deeply saddened by the loss of life of the "courageous IAF pilot".
