Debris of the MiG-29K fighter jet that crashed shortly after it took off on a training mission from INS Hansa in Goa on Saturday. PTI

Panaji, November 16

An Indian Navy MiG-29K trainer aircraft crashed outside a village in Goa on Saturday noon, a senior defence official said. Both pilots ejected safely, said Indian Navy Flag Officer, Goa, Rear Admiral Philipose George Pynumootil.

A major tragedy was averted as the pilot pointed the aircraft away from populated areas. The officer said the aircraft was on a regular training sortie when the incident occurred.

A villager said the aircraft crashed on a rocky plateau on the outskirts of Verna, 15 km from the state capital, around noon. The wreckage of the aircraft lay strewn in one-km area, he said.

The aircraft is attached to INS Hansa located near Dabolim in Goa. Taking to Twitter, the Indian Navy spokesperson said, “During a training mission, after take-off from INS Hansa at Dabolim a MiG-29K trainer aircraft suffered an engine fire. The pilots Capt M Sheokhand and Lt Cdr Deepak Yadav ejected safely”.

The pilots were provided first-aid and shifted to hospital in Vasco. — PTI