Two Indian Air Force pilots, Squadron Leader Anuj and Flight Lieutenant Purvesh Duragkar, were killed after a Su-30MKI fighter jet crashed in Assam's Karbi Anglong district during a training mission.
The IAF confirmed the deaths, stating that both officers sustained fatal injuries in the crash.
The Sukhoi-30MKI aircraft took off from the Jorhat airbase on Thursday evening before losing contact with ground control.
Defence officials said communication with the Russian-origin fighter jet was lost at around 7.42 pm.
The aircraft subsequently crashed in Karbi Anglong district, about 60 kilometres from Jorhat.
The Su-30MKI is a two-seater multirole long-range fighter jet developed by Russian aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi and built under licence by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the IAF.
This is not the first accident involving the aircraft, with previous incidents including a crash in Nashik district of Maharashtra in June 2024 and another in January 2023 after taking off from the Gwalior airbase.
