Deeply saddened by loss of courageous IAF pilot during aerial display at Dubai Air Show: HAL
New Delhi (PTI): State-run aerospace behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), the manufacturer of Tejas aircraft, on Friday said it was deeply saddened by the loss of life of the "courageous IAF pilot" during the aerial display at the Dubai Air Show.
The pilot has been identified as Wing Commander Namansh Syal.
He was killed on Friday after the indigenous multi-role Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Tejas, crashed in a ball of fire during the aerial display at the Dubai Air Show.
It was the second time in 20 months that the aircraft manufactured by HAL was involved in a crash. The earlier accident occurred in Jaisalmer in Rajasthan in March last year, but the pilot ejected safely.
"HAL is deeply saddened by the loss of the courageous IAF pilot during the aerial display at the Dubai Air Show. HAL expresses its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. @IAF_MCC @SpokespersonMoD @DefProdnIndia," HAL posted on X.
As the crash inside the grounds of an airfield in Dubai cast a tragic shadow on an otherwise mega spectacle on the last day of the event in the desert city, visuals of the accident aired on TV channels showed the jet abruptly dropping height after what looked like a low-altitude manoeuvre and then nosedived into the ground in a matter of seconds before being engulfed in a ball of fire.
Black smoke billowed over the Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central, as horrified spectators, including women and children, seated at a grandstand area behind a fenced airstrip, watched in shock.
The project to build the Tejas aircraft finally took off in 1984 after years of deliberations, and the jet was formally declared fit to fly in 2011.
The IAF test crew have been involved with the Tejas project right from the conceptual stage till prototype testing. The first version of the aircraft was inducted into the IAF in 2016.
In February 2021, the defence ministry sealed a Rs 48,000 crore deal with HAL for the procurement of 83 Tejas MK-1A jets for the IAF.
In November 2023, the ministry had accorded an initial approval to procure an additional batch of 97 Tejas jets for the IAF.
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3 killed, 15 injured in fire after blast at firecracker unit in MP's Dewas; CM orders probe
Dewas/Indore (PTI): At least three workers were killed and 15 persons injured after a fire broke out following an explosion at a firecracker factory in Madhya Pradesh's Dewas district on Thursday, an official said.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav expressed grief over the incident and ordered an investigation. The state government will provide an assistance of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of each of the deceased, and the injured will receive free treatment, he said in a post on X.
Three persons were killed in the fire at the firecracker unit located in Tonk Kalan area, and around 15 injured persons were sent to hospitals in Indore and Dewas, Collector Rituraj Singh told reporters after inspecting the site.
Videos of the aftermath surfaced on social media, showing thick white smoke billowing from the factory along the Agra–Mumbai national highway. The clips also showed people rushing the injured for treatment amid cries for help, with body parts seen scattered at the site.
The collector said the fire has been brought under control. The administration has taken possession of explosives stored at another location within the unit, he said.
The work to manufacture small firecrackers at the factory of a person named Anil Malviya had begun only 15 days ago, and a licence has been issued for the unit, the collector said.
A detailed investigation is underway into the incident, he added.
CM Yadav said, "I have directed Deputy Chief Minister and Dewas district guardian minister Jagdish Devda, the home secretary and senior officials to visit the spot. An inquiry has also been ordered into the incident."
Local residents said there was a massive explosion at the factory, and the victims' body parts were found scattered far away from the site.
They said construction work was underway at the site and different sheds were being built there.
