Dabolim, Goa, Oct 1: Two IL-38 maritime reconnaissance aircraft of the Indian Navy, with 12 crew members aboard, collided mid-air and crashed in a residential area near Dabolim airport in Goa this morning. Fifteen people have been killed, while another 15 are injured. Defence ministry sources said the two aircraft were flying in formation during the silver jubilee celebrations of the Winged Stallions Squadron of the Indian Navy.
The sources said Russian-made aircraft crashed at 1010 hrs.
Debris from the aircraft fell on a bungalow under construction, burying some of the 12 labourers, who were believed to be in the bungalow at the time of the accident.
Meanwhile, rescue operations are on. Goan airport has been sealed off for the moment.
There were seven Lt Commanders and five Sailors aboard the aircraft. The Lt Commanders were S C Karadi, S K Yadav, R C Saini, S K Dutta, N V Nirmal, K S Rathore, and J D Datta. The sailors were J P Singh, Anil Kumar, I Prakash, Vijay Kumar and George.
Bureau Report