One Dead, 9 Injured After Unidentified Aircraft Crashes in Bathinda

Jalandhar: An unidentified aircraft crashed in the wheat fields of Akalia Kalan village in Bathinda district, Punjab on Wednesday (May 7) killing one civilian and injuring nine others. The injured were rushed to Civil hospital, Bathinda.

There is no official information about the crash or the origin of the aircraft. The Ministry of Defence, the Indian Air Force (IAF) or the Indian Army is yet to issue a statement on the crash. However, the crash site has been cordoned off by defence officials and security agencies.

The crash took place at around 1:30 am on Wednesday, around the same time when India launched Operation Sindoor against Pakistan, causing panic and chaos among the villagers in the dead of night.

The deceased civilian has been identified as Govind, a farm labourer from Haryana's Charkhi Dadri. The Wire has learnt that the victim was a farm labourer from a nearby grain market and was among the first to witness the crash.

Jaspal Singh (*name changed), a resident of Akalia Kalan, who was among the eyewitnesses at the scene, told The Wire that the villagers heard a loud noise around 1.30 am on Wednesday and rushed out of their houses in panic. The police reached the crash site at around 2.15 am, he said.

“When the villagers came out of their houses, they noticed something flying and engulfed in fire in the sky. The villagers rushed towards the fields and found out that it was an aircraft which had crashed in the village,” Jaspal said.

He said that a farm labourer, who was reportedly the first one to spot the crash and rush towards the fields to make a video, died during a blast in the aircraft debris. The nine others, who were also injured in the crash, are under treatment at a local hospital.

On being asked about the pilots of the aircraft, Jaspal said, “As far as we know, both the pilots managed to eject safely from the aircraft and landed at Ganga village, which is situated some 5 or 6 kms away from Akalia Kalan. While one part of the aircraft fell in a different location of the village, the other one fell in the fields," he said.

“Thankfully, the aircraft crashed in the fields and a major tragedy was averted,” villagers said.

While Bathinda Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Amneet Kondal was not available for comments, Bathinda Police Media PRO, senior constable Malwinder Singh, confirmed that the aircraft crashed around 1.30 am on Wednesday in Akalia Kalan.

Malwinder Singh told The Wire that they have no official statement either from the Indian Air Force or the Indian Army about the crash and cannot comment.

However, he confirmed that nine people were injured in the crash and were under treatment in a local hospital.

Bathinda Deputy Commissioner (DC) Showkat Ahmad Parray was also not available for comments.

The incident has led to panic among the villagers, as India launched Operation Sindoor against Pakistan while the Union government has also announced a drill in 244 civil defence districts of the country.