By IANS,
Shimla : A MiG 29 crashed in Himachal Pradesh’s Lahaul Valley, police said Wednesday. Two Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters began a search operation to locate the wreckage of the aircraft in the treacherous mountain terrain.
There is no official confirmation about the number of people on board the aircraft that crashed during a night flying exercise in Lahaul and Spiti district Tuesday.
“Two small choppers have arrived from the IAF base in Udhampur (in Jammu and Kashmir) and started recce. Still no aircraft fuselage has been reported,” Deputy Superintendent of Police Khajana Ram told IANS over phone.
He said a team of rescue workers, comprising police personnel, had also been rushed to the hilltop spot to start the search operation. The accident spot is quite treacherous and inaccessible.
Superintendent of Police Bimal Gupta said a communication was received from the IAF at around 8.30 p.m. Tuesday that a MiG 29 has crashed.
“A team of rescue workers has reached Chokhang village from where they have started trudging up the mountain to reach the accident spot. By evening the team is likely to reach the spot,” he said.
The hilltop is totally devoid of forest and there are chances that the wreckage could be located easily, Gupta said.
Chokhang village on the Keylong-Udaipur highway is about 40 km from the district headquarters of Keylong and 450 km from here.
“We have no information about the number of people on board the aircraft,” Deputy Commissioner Rajeev Shankar said.
Eyewitnesses told police that they noticed a fireball in the sky and heard a loud sound Tuesday night.