Chandigarh, May 7 || One civilian was killed and nine others injured on early Wednesday as an unidentified aircraft crashed and caught fire in Aklian Kalan village, some 20 km from the district headquarters in Punjab’s Bathinda.
District authorities refused to comment about the crash, saying any comment will be issued by the defence authorities. Defence personnel and police teams have cordoned off the crash site.
The dead has been identified as a farm labourer, Govind from Haryana. The crash occurred around 2 a.m. in wheat-harvested fields, close to the residential area.
Eyewitnesses said several farm labourers noticed an aircraft flying low that later crashed and fell into the fields.
As the local approached the wreckage, an explosion took place that killed one on the spot and injured nine others.
“On spotting the burning aircraft, some people rushed to rescue the pilot. As they were rushing towards the plane, it exploded and several of them sustained injuries,” an eyewitness told the media.
The injured were admitted to Shaheed Bhai Mani Singh Civil Hospital. One among them was referred to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bathinda.
Senior district officials reached the crash site and the hospital. Police teams have been deployed at the district hospital.