| MIG-21 crashes in J&K, pilot killed | | | Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, May 27: A MIG-21 fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force today crashed in Bijbehara area of Anantnag district in Kashmir, killing the pilot.
The MIG-21, which was on a routine exercise, crashed in the fields at Mirhama in Bijbehara area, 45 kms from here, defence sources said.
Pilot Raghu Bansi was killed in the crash, they said. The MIG-21 had taken off from Technical Airport here this morning, the sources said. The cause of the crash was not immediately known. A team of IAF officials have rushed to the spot.
Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed his condolences to the bereaved family of the pilot and suggested that the Centre address the defence procurement issue of the armed forces at the earliest.
"Not entirely disconnected from today's crash the new Govt needs to sort (out) defence procurement issue for Navy, Air Force & Army ASAP," he said on twitter.
Expressing grief over the death of the pilot in the crash, the Chief minister said, "my condolences to the family, friends & colleagues of the pilot killed in the MIG crash today. May his soul rest in peace."
A court of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the crash, a defence spokesman said in Srinagar.
Meanwhile As soon as the aircraft's crash news broke out in Social Networking sites, Thousands of men, women and children thronged to the site, resulting traffic jam and chaos on Srinagar-Jammu National Highway and other roads linking the site with the highway. Eyewitness said that irrespective of age and gender, people thronged the crash site of IAF's MiG-21 fighter Aircraft which killed the on board pilot and IAF Squadron Leader, Raghu Bansi. Most the people who arrived on the site enjoyed the day while watching the lifting of aircraft debris; however women folk was seen to mourning the death of pilot.
But police had to face difficult time due to flow of large number of people arriving in and around the crash site.
Srinagar-Jammu national highway also witnessed a heavy traffic jam during the day, resulting serve difficulties to passengers especially to ambulances fraying patients to Srinagar from Anantnag-Kulgam districts. |
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