Thaindian News

Siliguri, July 25 (IANS) The number of casualties in the MiG 27 fighter plane crash in West Bengal rose to three Sunday after two children hit by splinters of the aircraft died at a hospital here, police said.
Latika Roy and Purnima Roy died at the North Bengal Medical College Saturday midnight.

Three people, two of them admitted to the North Bengal Medical College and another at the Jalpaiguri district hospital, continued to be critical.

One civilian died when the aircraft crashed in Jalpaiguri district Saturday morning. Splinters of the aircraft were scattered over an area of 500 metres radius.

Seven of the 16 injured were minors.

Squadron Leader Saket Verma, the pilot, ejected safely, said an Indian Air Force (IAF) spokesman at the Eastern Air Command headquarters in Shillong.

The pilot had flown from the Hashimara airbase on a routine sortie. Hashimara is under administrative control of the Eastern Air Command.

The pilot landed at the Saptibari High School playground, about 10 km from the crash spot. He was given first aid at the Saptibari primary health centre.

The aircraft had lost contact with the air traffic control at Hashimara before it crashed.

This is the fourth crash involving a MiG fighter plane this year.