A drop tank inadvertently fell from an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft on a house in Madhya Pradesh’s Shivpuri district on Friday, causing severe damage to the property. No injuries or casualties were reported, and an inquiry was launched into the incident.
The “non-explosive aerial store” fell on the rooftop of the house in Shivpuri, around 135 kilometres from Gwalior. Eyewitnesses earlier said that an unidentified heavy object fell on the roof of the house belonging to Manoj Sagar, a teacher, around 11 am. Two rooms in the house were completely damaged and debris fell on the car parked nearby, officials said.
Sagar was having food inside the house with his children and his wife was in the kitchen when the roof burst open with a loud explosion and an 8-to-10-foot deep pit was formed in the courtyard, they added.
The Air Force, in a statement, regretted the damage caused to the property due to the “inadvertent” falling of the drop tank.
The Air Force has ordered an inquiry to ascertain the cause and has assured that compensation for the property damage will be provided through the designated mechanism.
“The IAF regrets the damage caused today to property on ground near Shivpuri, by the inadvertent drop of a non-explosive aerial store from an IAF aircraft, and has instituted an inquiry into the incident,” it wrote on X.
Vibrations caused by the explosion were felt in neighbouring houses too, officials said.
Police rushed to the spot and cordoned off the area.
