A MiG 29K fighter jet of the
Indian Navy, which was on a training mission, crashed shortly after taking off
in Goa on Saturday, officials said.
“During a training mission, after
take off from INS HANSA at Dabolim a Mig 29k trainer aircraft suffered an
engine fire. The pilots Capt M Sheokhand and Lt Cdr Deepak Yadav ejected
safely, the navy tweeted.
The cause of the engine failure
was not immediately known but some reports claimed it was on account of a bird
hit.
Navy sources confirmed that the
aircraft being flown by trainee pilots landed in an open area.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing a
huge plume of smoke as well as two parachutes descending after the crash. More
details of the incident are awaited.