IAF MiG 21 aircraft crashes in J&K’s Budgam, 2 bodies found

Mangalore Today News Network

Srinagar, Feb 27, 2019 : A MiG 21 Bison aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam area on Wednesday. 2 Pilots are feared dead while a civilian is also dead. However, authorities are yet to confirm the deaths, Zeenews reported.

 

 

According to locasl residents the jet crashed in an open field near Garend Kalaan village in Budgam at 10.05 am, the officials said. The aircraft broke into two and caught fire immediately, the officials said, adding one body was seen near the site crash, reported news agency PTI.

The identity of the deceased could not be confirmed immediately, they said, adding the fate of the pilots was not known. 

An eyewitness at the crash site in Budgam claimed that "it was a jet aircraft".

Operation of commercial flights in the area has been put on hold.

The MiG-21 Bison is a single-engine, single-seater multirole fighter/ground attack aircraft. It has a maximum speed of 2230 kilometre/hour (Mach 2.1) and carries one 23mm twin-barrel cannon with four R-60 close combat missiles.

The multi-role aircraft has a 57-mm rocket and is capable of carrying eight bombs of both low and high calibre at a time.