Srinagar, Feb 27: An IAF jet crashed on Wednesday in Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, killing at least one person, the Press Trust of India reported quoting the Indian government officials.
The jet crashed in an open field near Garend Kalaan village in Budgam at 10.05 am, the Indian authorities said.
The jet broke into two and caught fire immediately, the officials said, adding one body was seen near the site crash, the PTI said in its report.
The identity of the deceased could not be confirmed immediately, they said, adding the fate of the pilots was not known.
At least 3 Pakistan's warplanes entered Indian part of Kashmir - Reports
Reuters reported, citing an Indian official that at least three Pakistan's combat aircraft had entered the airspace over the Indian part of Kashmir. According to AFP, citing sources and local media, Pakistan's fighter jets were forced back over the de facto border of the disputed territory after the violation of the airspace.
Bus crashes into gorge in India’s Kashmir, killing 31
Neither the Indian, not Pakistan's defence officials have confirmed the claim so far.
The statement comes just a day after India carried out an aerial operation, targeting a camp of the Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist group, which claimed responsibility for the deadly terrorist attack against the Indian security convoy on February 14. The camp was situated in the Pakistani-controlled part of the Kashmir region, while Islamabad accused New Delhi of violating its airspace.
While India stressed that it conducted the raid due to "Pakistan's inability to take action to destroy terrorist infrastructure," the Pakistani National Security Council reportedly rejected the claims that the airstrike targeted terrorists. At the same time, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry stated that it considers the Indian move as an "act of aggression," which threatens regional security and vowed response.
After February's terrorist attack, which killed 45 Indian paramilitary officers, the traditionally strained relations between India and Pakistan deteriorated even further as India blamed Pakistan for harboring the terrorists responsible for the attack and accused Islamabad of having a "direct hand" in the incident.
Pakistan in turn, rejected the allegations of its involvement in the attack and said that this was India's strategy to divert international attention from alleged human rights violations in the Kashmir region.
