Guwahati: A Jaguar fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed on Wednesday in Bhanuda village, located under the Rajaldesar police station area of Churu district in Rajasthan.
The incident has reportedly claimed two lives, though official confirmation from the IAF is awaited.
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Churu Superintendent of Police, Jai Yadav, confirmed the crash and stated that police teams had been dispatched to the site. “Severely mutilated body parts have been recovered near the wreckage,” he said. A large crater has formed at the impact site, and debris from the aircraft is scattered over a wide area.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing the aircraft in flames before it crashed in a field near Charanan Mohalla on Sikrali Road.
Burning parts of the aircraft were found within a 200-foot radius of the crash site. Locals from Bhanuda and surrounding villages rushed to the area upon hearing the explosion and spotting the falling jet.
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Villagers suspect that one or two personnel may have been aboard the aircraft at the time of the crash, though this has not yet been confirmed by the authorities. Human remains and debris are spread across the crash zone, and further details are expected to be released by the Indian Air Force.
This incident marks the third crash involving a Jaguar fighter jet this year. Earlier, a Jaguar went down in Haryana’s Panchkula on March 7, followed by another crash near Jamnagar, Gujarat, on April 2.
The Jaguar is a twin-engine, ground-attack aircraft used by the Indian Air Force in both single- and twin-seat variants.