Three civilians were killed after the "wreckage" of an Indian Air Force MiG-21 fighter jet that crashed near Suratgarh in Rajasthan during a routine training sortie on Monday morning fell on a house.

The IAF said the pilot ejected safely and suffered minor injuries.

The aircraft crashed in Bahlol Nagar village of Hanumangarh district.

“The aircraft had got airborne for a routine operational training sortie from the Air Force Station at Suratgarh. Soon thereafter, the pilot experienced an on board emergency, following which he attempted to recover the aircraft as per existing procedures,” the IAF said in a statement.

“Having failed to do so, he initiated an ejection, sustaining minor injuries in the process.”

The pilot was found around 25km northeast of the Suratgarh base.

“The aircraft wreckage fell on a house in Bahlol Nagar in Hanumangarh district, unfortunately leading to the loss of three lives. The IAF regrets the loss of lives and offers its deepest condolences to the bereaved families,” the statement added.

A court of inquiry has been constituted to ascertain the cause of the accident.

Sources said the MiG-21 was inducted into the IAF in the early 1960s. Since then, more than 800 variants of the supersonic fighter had been inducted into service and remained the frontline fighter jet of the air force for along time. During this period, there were over 400 accidents involving MiG-21s that claimed the lives of around 200 pilots.