A Sukhoi 30MKI and a Mirage-2000 aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed during a routine training exercise on Saturday morning near Gwalior, leaving one of the three pilots dead.

“Two fighter aircraft of IAF were involved in an accident near Gwalior today. The aircraft were on a routine operational flying training mission. An inquiry has been ordered to determine the cause of the accident,” the IAF said in a statement.

Both Sukhoi-30MKI pilots are safe, clarified a spokesperson of the Air Force. Local reports stated that the body parts of the Mirage-2000 pilot were found in the Pahargarh area of Morena district of Madhya Pradesh.

Morena District Collector Ankit Asthana said debris from both aircraft fell in the Pahargarh area of the district. Some debris also fell in the Bharatpur area of Rajasthan, which borders Madhya Pradesh, he added. However, it was not known how both the fighter jets crashed after taking off from the Gwalior air base. The IAF has not clarified whether it was a mid-air crash as is being suspected by some officials.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who was briefed by Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari on the crash, is monitoring the developments closely, ministry sources said.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also took to Twitter to express his grief. “The news of the crash of Sukhoi-30 and Mirage-2000 aircraft of the Air Force near Kolaras in Morena is very sad. I have instructed the local administration to cooperate with the Air Force in quick rescue and relief work. I pray to God that the pilots of the planes are safe,” he posted on the social media.

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