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Tuesday, June 05, 2018, 15:55
Pilot dies after Indian fighter jet crashes in Gujarat
By Xinhua
Tuesday, June 05, 2018, 15:55 By Xinhua

This handout photograph released by the Indian Air Force shows an Indian Air Force Mig 27 fighter jet being extinguished after crashing into a residential building in Jodhpur in India's western Rajasthan state on June 13, 2016. A fighter jet of the Indian Air Force crashed in western state of Gujarat on June 5, 2018, killing the pilot, defense sources said. (ABHISHEK MATIMAN / INDIAN AIR FORCE / AFP)

NEW DELHI - A fighter jet of the Indian Air Force crashed in western state of Gujarat on Tuesday, killing the pilot, defense sources said. 

The Jaguar aircraft crashed on a field near a village in Mundra of Gujarat's Kutch region while on a routine sortie, sources said

"The Jaguar aircraft crashed on a field near a village in Mundra of Gujarat's Kutch region while on a routine sortie, minutes after taking off from Jamnagar air base," sources said. 

The pilot, identified as Sanjay Chauhan, died in the crash. "His body has been recovered," sources said. 

Local TV channels showed footage of debris scattered over a wide area. Media reported that a cattle grazing on the field also died in the mishap. 

"A court of inquiry has been ordered," sources said. 

There have been a number of crashes involving Indian Air Force assets this year. 

In April, an M17 helicopter crashed in the hilly state of Uttarakhand, but all six people on board survived. In March, a plane crashed in eastern state of Odisha, injuring the pilot. 

In February this year, an air force helicopter crashed in northeastern state of Assam's Majuli island, killing two pilots. 

READ MORE: After 33 years, India's first indigenous combat plane

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