Guwahati, Mar 6: Two Indian Air Force pilots lost their lives when a Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jet crashed in Assam’s Karbi Anglong district during a routine training flight.

The aircraft had taken off from Jorhat air base on Thursday evening and went down about 60 km away. The Indian Air Force confirmed the tragedy in a post on X, naming the fallen officers as Sqn Ldr Anuj and Flt Lt Purvesh Duragkar, who suffered fatal injuries.

IAF expressed deep condolences: “All personnel of the IAF stand firmly with the bereaved family in this time of grief.”

A defence spokesperson in Guwahati told PTI that debris was located early Friday around 1 am, thanks to an IAF search and rescue team aided by local police, civil administration, and villagers who trekked to the remote site.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.