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Eight killed, 12 injured as MiG
crashes into Jalandhar building

An Indian Air Force MiG-21 jet crashed into a bank building in Jalandhar within minutes of taking off from the Adampur air base on a routine flight, killing eight persons on the ground and injuring 16, prompting authorities to ground six squadrons of 72 fighter planes in this class.

The pilot Flt Lt S K Nayak and his co-pilot bailed out safely before the aircraft plummeted into the commercial Basti Adda area setting a two-storey building, which housed a bank, and a couple of adjacent structures, including a plywood shop, on fire.

Six of the eight killed have been identified as employees of the Bank of Rajasthan, including a woman.

The bank manager B K Mathur was among the injured.

Seven bodies were pulled out of the debris, while one succumbed to his injuries in a local hospital. The flight data recorder has been recovered from the wreckage site.

Ten of the injured have been admitted to the civil hospital in Jalandhar while six, who are in a serious condition, have been rushed to the CMC hospital in Ludhiana.

Pankaj Sood, who witnessed the accident, said the aircraft hit the ground after a mid-air blast.

Several fire tenders were pressed into service to rescue people from the buildings that caught fire following the crash.

The services of the army were requisitioned to assist the civil administration, Deputy Commissioner K Shiva Prasad said.

Friday's crash is the third involving a MiG-21 in the last one week.

According to figures made available to Parliament, 84 jets of the MiG series have crashed in the past five years.

However, Chief of Air staff Air Chief Marshal S Krishnaswamy has said that MiG-21s could be in service for some more years to come.

PTI

EARLIER REPORTS:
Air force plane crashes near Jalandhar
MiG crashes into office building, Three killed

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