NEW DELHI/GUWAHATI/ DIPHU March 6: Two pilots of the Indian Air Force (IAF) were killed in a crash of a Su-30 MKI multi-role fighter jet in Assam’s Karbi Anglong district.
The IAF confirmed on Friday the deaths of Squadron Leader Anuj and Flight Lieutenant Purvesh Duragkar, a day after the Russian-origin aircraft went missing.
The jet was on a training sortie and disappeared from radar shortly after taking off from Jorhat airbase on Thursday.
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The IAF headquarters ordered a court of inquiry into the crash.
“The IAF acknowledges the loss of Sqn Ldr Anuj and Flt Lt Purvesh Duragkar, who sustained fatal injuries in the Su-30 crash,” the IAF said in a brief statement.
“All personnel of the IAF express sincere condolences, and stand firmly with the bereaved family in this time of grief,” it said.
Communication with the aircraft was lost at 7:42 pm on Thursday, officials had said.
At approximately 1:00 am on Friday, the IAF confirmed that the Su-30MKI which disappeared from radar on Thursday has crashed.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said he is “deeply saddened” by the deaths of Squadron Leader Anuj and Flight Lieutenant Duragkar in the “tragic Su-30 crash”.
“Their courage and service to the nation will always be remembered with pride and gratitude. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. The nation stands firmly with them in this hour of grief,” he said on social media.
It is learnt that the jet was part of a squadron based in Tezpur city in the northeastern state.
Flight Lt Duragkar had come to his home in Nagpur 10 days ago for a family get-together, his grief-stricken father Ravindra Duragkar said, adding he had the last telephonic conversation with his son on Wednesday.
His also said his 28-year-old son had taken part in Operation Sindoor.
In Gurugram, friends and relatives of Squadron Leader Vashisht gathered at his house in Sector 22B after receiving news of his death.
According to a family friend, Vashisht was originally from Bhiwani district of Haryana and his family was preparing for his wedding.
The Su-30MKI is a two-seater multirole long-range fighter jet developed by Russian aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi. It is now built under licence by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) for the IAF.
The IAF operates a fleet of over 260 Su-30MKI jets. The multi-role aircraft has been in service with the IAF for over two decades and nearly 10 Su-30MKIs have been lost so far.
In recent years, a Su-30 MKI fighter plane had crashed in Nashik district of Maharashtra in June 2024.
Another Sukhoi-30 jet had crashed in January 2023 after taking off from the Gwalior airbase.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed profound grief over the deaths of the two pilots and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families.
Sarma added that the entire nation stands with the bereaved families.
“Hon’ble Chief Minister Dr. @himantabiswa is deeply saddened by the tragic crash of an Sukhoi Su-30MKI in Karbi Anglong, which claimed the lives of Sqn Ldr Anuj and Flt Lt Purbesh Duragkar,” the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said in a post on X.
“Expressing profound grief, Hon’ble CM extends his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families, stating that the entire nation stands with them in this moment of immense grief and loss,” it added.
Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi on Friday condoled the death of the two pilots of a Sukhoi-30 MKI of the IAF in a crash.
He said the sacrifice of the pilots will be remembered with pride and gratitude.
“Deeply saddened by the tragic crash of the Su-30MKI on a training mission in Karbi Anglong, about 60 km from Jorhat. We mourn the loss of Sqn Ldr Anuj and Flt Lt Purvesh Duragkar, who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to the nation,” Gogoi said in a post on X. (With inputs from PTI and Our Correspondent)
