IAF's Jaguar aircraft crashes in Haryana; pilot ejects safely

A Jaguar fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed close to Shahbad town in Haryana's Kurukshetra district on Thursday, with the pilot ejecting safely.

"The fighter aircraft crashed in the fields. According to preliminary information, the pilot ejected from the plane before it fell in the fields. He was reported to have sustained injuries," Kurukshetra's Superintendent of Police, Simardeep Singh said.

An IAF spokesperson said the pilot gave a distress call before ejection. The pilot is safe, the spokesperson said.

The aircraft crashed near Landi village, close to Shahbad town in Kurukshetra, about 65 km from Chandigarh, at 1:15 pm. The pilot had taken off from Ambala Air base in the afternoon, police said. Singh said that there were no immediate reports of any casualty on the ground where the plane fell. He said besides police, the IAF personnel from Ambala have rushed to the spot.

A helicopter from Ambala has taken off to bring the pilot to the city.