Two pilots killed in Sukhoi fighter jet crash in Assam, IAF confirms

Two Indian Air Force pilots, Squadron Leader Anuj and Flight Lieutenant Purvesh Duragkar, were killed in the crash of a Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jet in Assam's Karbi Anglong district.

The jet, which was on a training mission, crashed approximately 60 km from Jorhat air base, from where it had taken off on Thursday evening.

The Indian Air Force on Friday confirmed the sad news in an X post and said, “IAF acknowledges the loss of Sqn Ldr Anuj and Flt Lt Purvesh Duragkar, who sustained fatal injuries in the Su-30 crash.”

“All personnel of the IAF express sincere condolences and stand firmly with the bereaved family in this time of grief,” they added.

A defence spokesperson in Guwahati told PTI that the debris of the aircraft was located early on Friday.

The IAF search and rescue team, assisted by civil and police administration and villagers, had trekked to the site and located the debris around 1 am, the official said.

Officials said the aircraft went missing shortly after taking off from the Jorhat airbase. Communication with the Russian-origin aircraft was lost at 7:42 pm, they had said.

Locals, who saw the jet crashing last evening, told ANI that they heard a loud noise, followed by an explosion. “The police from the Chowki Wala police station came. They are searching from the helicopter...”

The IAF operates a fleet of over 260 Su-30MKI jets.

A Sukhoi fighter plane had crashed in the Nashik district of Maharashtra in June 2024. Another Sukhoi-30 jet had crashed in January 2023, after taking off from the Gwalior airbase.