Jamnagar, February 20
A MiG-21 fighter jet crashed in a residential area killing four persons, including two children, and injuring 14 in Lakhabaval village of Gujarat, about 20 km from here, today.
The plane crashed on the roof of a house at 9.42 am, killing an 18-year-old youth on the spot, officials said, adding that two children, including a girl and a 50-year-old man, succumbed to their injuries at G G hospital.
However, the pilot, Flying Officer Ghumman, escaped unhurt.
A trainee pilot of the Air Force, he was
conducting his routine sortie from the Jamnagar base when the plane crashed and broke into five pieces, resulting in a fire that engulfed seven adjoining houses, the officials said, adding the exact cause of the crash was not yet known. The fire was later extinguished.
The children have been identified as Sarina Osman (4) and Murtuza Mamad (5). A 50-year-old man Abdul Kareem, who was in critical condition, died later, Superintendent of GG Hospital P.D. Vithlani told PTI. The youth was yet to be identified.
Meanwhile, the 14 injured, including three children and two women, were undergoing treatment at the hospital, the sources said but unconfirmed reports said the number of injured could be more.
PTI
NEW DELHI (TNS): The Indian Air Force on Friday said the MiG-21 crash at Jamnagar prima facie could have occurred due to an engine failure.
While the Ministry of Defence has ordered an inquiry into the incident, the IAF has also set up a committee to go into the crash.
The IAF would be providing interim relief to all victims as per its rules.
Addressing mediapersons here, Group Capt A.V. Thakurdesai, Director, Flight Safety in the IAF, said the engine failure could also have been due to fuel starvation, but the exact reasons would be known only after the inquiry.
This is the second crash of a MiG fighter jet this month. A MIG-23 had crashed in Jaisalmer on February 7.
Grp Capt Thakurdesai said the aircraft was a MiG-21 Type-96 aircraft. It was 27 years old and had three years of life left.
He said the pilot, Flying Officer Ghumman, had already carried out two sorties of “armament practice” and was on the third one when the engine failed. The pilot has been in service for three years and has over 125 hours of flying to his credit.
