The funeral of Wing Commander Hanumanth Rao Sarathi, who lost his life in an air crash in Madhya Pradesh's Morena on Saturday, is going to be held here in Karnataka's Belgaum on Sunday evening.
Wing Commander Hanumanth Rao Sarathi lost his life in the air crash on Saturday over Madhya Pradesh's Morena. He was an ace Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft pilot & instructor at the IAF Tactics & Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE) in Gwalior.
The Indian Air Force on Saturday evening issued an update that Wing Commander Hanumanth Rao Sarathi sustained fatal injuries after two Indian Air Force fighter jets-- a Sukhoi Su-30 and a Mirage 2000 -- crashed during a training exercise on Saturday in Madhya Pradesh's Morena. Wing Commander Hanumanth Rao Sarathi was in the Sukhoi Su-30 aircraft.
"IAF deeply regrets to inform you that Wing Commander Hanumanth Rao Sarathi suffered fatal injuries during the accident. All air warriors and the fraternity stand strongly with the bereaved family," IAF said on Saturday.
Earlier the IAF officials reported that the body parts of one pilot had been retrieved. In contrast, two other pilots in the Sukhoi who ejected from their plane were rescued and taken to the hospital in a helicopter.
While one aircraft crashed in Morena in Madhya Pradesh, the other hit and landed in Rajasthan's Bharatpur.
Defence sources said that the Sukhoi had two pilots, while the Mirage had one pilot. Both aircraft are used on the frontlines by the Indian Air Force. The two pilots on the Sukhoi managed to eject and were taken to the hospital by helicopter. The Mirage pilot lost his life and his relatives have been informed about the incident, and defence sources were informed on Saturday.
( With inputs from ANI )
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