Poonam Singh

New Delhi: A MiG-29K trainer aircraft operating from the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya in the Arabian Sea ditched on Thursday evening while operating at the high seas, Navy officials said on Friday.

The incident took place at around 5 pm in the Arabian Sea, they said.

One of the two pilots on board has been rescued while the other pilot is still missing.

A search operation by air and surface units is in progress to find the second pilot.

The Navy has deployed surveillance aircraft and ships to locate the missing pilot. A high-level inquiry has been ordered to investigate the incident, the officials said.

The INS Vikramaditya was part of the recent Malabar exercise involving the navies of India, the US, Australia and Japan.

The Indian Navy has a fleet of around 40 MiG-29K fighter jets and some of them operate from the aircraft carrier.

(With Agency Inputs)

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