Chamrajnagar: Small plane crashes to ground, triggers panic among residents
Chamarajanagar (Karnataka), Jun 1 (PTI) A Kiran trainer aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed in an open field at a village in the district on Thursday but the two pilots made it out safely after ejecting from the plane before the crash.
The training aircraft, which took off from the air force station in Bengaluru, crashed this morning at Bhogapura village.
It was good fortune that aircraft hit the ground on barren land and not in the nearby village, a villager said, adding it would have been catastrophic if the plane had crashed into the village.
District officials said the pilots, identified only as Tejpal and Bhumika, sustained minor injuries. No casualties were reported.
According to the IAF, the pilots were on a routine training sortie when the incident occurred. A court of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of accident.
"A Kiran trainer aircraft of the IAF crashed near Chamrajnagar, Karnataka today, while on a routine training sortie. Both air crew ejected safely. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident," the IAF tweeted.
Senior district officials and an IAF team reached the spot along with the fire and emergency services personnel.
As soon as the plane crashed with a loud noise, villagers rushed to the spot and found the mangled aircraft engulfed in flames and billowing smoke.
Besides alerting the local police and the fire brigade, they also rushed to the spot where the two pilots were seen ejecting and coming down with the help of parachute.
Villagers noticed the two pilots lying on the ground. Quickly, they created a temporary shed for them.
Police officials rushed to the spot, cordoned off the area and put up a makeshift tent for the injured pilots.
The district officials in turn informed the IAF authorities in Bengaluru who then rushed to the spot in a special helicopter and airlifted the two injured pilots.
According to the Additional Deputy Commissioner of the District Katyayani Devi, one of the pilots sustained injuries in the spine while the other injured her mouth.
"The IAF helicopter has airlifted the two pilots to Bengaluru," she added.
Panchayat Development Officer Rame Gowda said he was in the office when he heard a blast.
"After hearing the sound, I came out and enquired. I got to know that an IAF aircraft had crashed. I rushed to the spot and saw the crashed aircraft in flames. I informed the police and the fire and emergency services department about the incident," Gowda told reporters.
According to the Chief Fire Officer of Mysuru P S Jayaramaiah, a senior fire brigade officer, a man by the name Mahesh Prithvi informed them about the crash at about 12.05 pm and soon various teams were rushed to the spot.
An eyewitness said when they offered assistance to the pilots, they said they have informed the IAF station along with sharing the GPS location of the crash site to them.
Two days ago a Redbird Training Aircraft made an emergency landing in an agriculture field soon after taking off from Sambra airport in Belagavi. The pilots escaped with minor injuries.
News coming in of a trainer aircraft crashed in #Chamrajnagar. More details awaited. #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/uGn8tUtwa1
— Imran Khan (@KeypadGuerilla) June 1, 2023
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India & Israel elevate ties to special strategic partnership, vow to soon conclude free trade deal
Jerusalem (PTI): India and Israel on Thursday elevated their "time-tested" relationship to a special strategic partnership and agreed to soon firm up a "mutually beneficial" free trade deal even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly backed the Gaza peace initiative, asserting that humanity must never become a victim of conflict.
Following talks between Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, the two sides inked a plethora of agreements to expand cooperation in areas of trade, agriculture, energy, cyberspace and digital payment.
India and Israel also vowed to expand their already close defence partnership by working towards joint development and joint production of military hardware under the framework of the transfer of technologies.
In his media statement, Modi said India's security interest is linked to peace and stability in the Middle East, adding that New Delhi fully supports the Gaza Peace Initiative.
"India's stance is clear: humanity must never become a victim of conflict. A path to peace has been created through the Gaza Peace Plan. India has fully supported these efforts," he said.
"In the future as well, we will continue dialogue and cooperation with all countries," he said.
PM Modi landed in Israel on Wednesday on a two-day visit. It is his second visit to Israel in nine years.
In his remarks, the prime minister said India and Israel have a united view that there is no place for terrorism in the world and both sides stand shoulder-to-shoulder in countering terrorism and its supporters.
"Our relationship is founded on the strong bedrock of deep trust, shared democratic values, and human sensitivities. Our bond has stood the test of every trial of time," he said.
"Today, we have taken the historic decision to elevate our time-tested partnership to the status of a 'Special Strategic Partnership'," he said.
The prime minister also announced the establishment of an India-Israel critical and emerging technologies partnership to impart a new momentum for cooperation in areas of artificial intelligence, quantum, and critical minerals. "I am pleased that an agreement has been reached for the use of UPI in Israel," he said.
The prime minister, referring to the threat of terrorism, said India and Israel will continue to confront the menace unitedly.
"India and Israel are completely clear that there is no place for terrorism in the world. In any form, in any expression, terrorism cannot be accepted," he said.
"We have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in opposing terrorism and its supporters, and we will continue to do so," he added.
India and Israel also discussed the implementation of the India-Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and cooperation under the framework of I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE-USA).
