Srinagar: An Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot was killed yesterday when his MiG-21 fighter plane crashed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district, officials said. The co-pilot was seriously injured.
Defence Minister Arun Jaitley, who took charge earlier in the day, said he was “extremely sorry” to learn about the accident and called it a “matter of great concern” while President Pranab Mukherjee also expressed his condolences.
A statement from the air force said the MiG-21 crashed about 10km short of the Awantipur air base at around 10.45am. “The pilot from Srinagar was on a routine training sortie,” the statement said.
Local officials said the pilot’s body had been recovered. A police officer identified him as Squadron Leader Raghu Bansi. Officials said the body was airlifted to the IAF field station.IANS
