The crash of a Soviet-era fighter plane in India that was on a training mission has claimed the lives of two pilots, raising new safety worries following a run of mishaps involving the aircraft.
According to the defence ministry, the MiG-21 crashed on Thursday night in the western Rajasthani state’s desert close to the city of Barmer. Five pilots were killed in the crash, which was the sixth MiG-21 crash since January of last year.
According to the Indian Air Force (IAF), the training aircraft “met with an accident,” and an inquiry has been started to determine what caused the disaster. “IAF truly laments the loss of life and stands strongly with the grieving families,” the air force said.
Rajnath Singh, the defence minister, expressed his “deep grief” at the deaths of the two pilots in the disaster.The nation will never forget their devotion to the country, Singh stated on Twitter.
