Indian Air Force Jet fighter plane, MiG-21, on Tuesday crashed at Marhama Bijbehara in south Kashmir in the morning hours, after it had taken off from its local airbase, reports suggest.
Police spokesmen have confirmed the air crash and said that their team has been sent across to the area, reports say.
According to a report from NDTV, the pilot of the MiG-21 fighter jet, recognized as Raghu Bansi, was killed in the crash.
The fighter aircraft was only about an hour away or 45 kms from Srinagar, when it crashed in an open field, defense sources were cited as saying by the news channel.
The MiG-21 was on a routine exercise when the incident happened.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known.
After the news of the crash broke, J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was quick to confirm the incident:
Reports coming in of a Mig fighter having crashed in South Kashmir. Hope the pilot & the people on the ground are safe #prayers
— Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) May 27, 2014
More details awaited.
