The Hindu : 7 killed as IAF plane crashes in Jalandhar

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, May 04, 2002

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7 killed as IAF plane crashes in Jalandhar

By Our Staff Correspondent

The tail section of the Indian Air Force MiG-21, which nose-dived into a bank, near Jalandhar on Friday. — AP

CHANDIGARH MAY 3. Seven persons were killed and 15 injured, six of them seriously, when a MiG-21 fighter-aircraft crashed into a bank building in the densely-populated Basti Adda area in the heart of Jalandhar city today. The pilot, Fl.Lt. S.K. Naik, baled out in time.

Those killed included four employees of Rajasthan Bank, a couple engaged as sweepers by the bank, and a migrant labourer in a neighbouring plywood factory. The seriously injured have been shifted to the CMC Hospital, Ludhiana.

The aircraft belonging to the 23rd Squadron, took off from the Adampur IAF base around 9.40 a.m. During the sortie, the plane developed a technical snag and began to roll down to ultimately crash into the residential area of Basti Adda a few minutes after 10 a.m.

The plane hit the bank building where its entire staff of 11 persons and the sweepers were on duty. As the aircraft had considerable amount of fuel, the building caught fire and was destroyed.

The fire also destroyed the neighbouring Aggarwal plywood factory and caused damage to other buildings in the vicinity. Apart from the local fire brigade, IAF fire tenders equipped with special foam sprays were pressed into service. The fire raged till 1.30 p.m.

The Punjab Governor, J.F.R. Jacob, and the Chief Minister, Amarinder Singh, airdashed to the spot to supervise rescue and relief.

The Punjab Assembly, which is celebrating the golden jubilee of its first sitting after Independence, cancelled the cultural programme organised for the evening in view of the tragedy. The special session, where present and former legislators had assembled, passed a resolution expressing grief and conveyed its condolences to the families of the deceased.

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