Air Force's Jaguar Fighter Crashes Near Churu, Pilot Among 2 Dead

Two people, including an Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot, were killed after a Jaguar fighter jet crashed near Bhanuda village in Rajasthan's Churu district on Wednesday, officials said.

According to preliminary information, the wreckage of the aircraft was found in a field, along with the body of the pilot. The body was recovered in a severely damaged condition. The identities of the pilot and another person killed in the crash are yet to be officially confirmed by the Army and local administration.

The aircraft crashed in an agriculture field in Bhanoda village around 1.25 pm, local police official Rajaldesar Kamlessh told a news agency. He said human body parts were found near the crash site. The crash took place while the fighter jet was on a training sortie. The air force operates multiple bases in Rajasthan, with major installations in Jodhpur and Bikaner.

Soon after the incident, panic spread in the area. Villagers reported hearing a loud noise from the sky, followed by flames and smoke rising from the fields. Local residents also said that the crash caused a fire in nearby fields, which they tried to douse themselves.

District Collector Abhishek Surana and police teams have rushed to the site. An Army rescue team is also expected to reach the spot to secure the area and begin an investigation.

This is the third Jaguar fighter jet crash this year; the first was in Haryana's Panchkula on March 7 and the second was near Jamnagar in Gujarat on April 2.

This particular plane took off from Rajasthan's Suratgarh Air Force base. India has an estimated 120 Jaguar fighter jets - spread across six squadrons - in operation.