New Delhi, India

Both pilots of a twin-seater MiG-21 that crashed in the Barmer district of Rajasthan have died according to District Superintendent of Police Deepak Bhargava.

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After the accident, the Indian Air Force issued a statement saying '' IAF deeply regrets the loss of lives and stands firmly with the bereaved families.''

''A court of Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident,'' it added.

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Indian Air Force chief Marshal VR Chaudhari spoke to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to brief him about the crash.

Two fire brigades of Cairn Vedanta reached the spot of the accident but they struggled to control the fire.

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MiG-21, which is a single-engine multirole fighter or ground attack aircraft, was upgraded in 2006 with features including better avionics, powerful multi-mode radars, and the capability of transporting a wide range of guided munitions.

This is not the first time the Soviet-origin plane has crashed. Since 1963, 872 MiG-21s have been inducted by the IAF. 

In the past 51 years, over 400 MiG-21s have crashed and killed more than 200 pilots and almost 50 civilians on the ground.

(With inputs from agencies)

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