Two Indian Navy personnel died on Sunday in Kochi, Kerala, after their glider crashed near Thoppumpady bridge, a defence spokesperson said, according to PTI.
Lieutenant Rajeev Jha and Petty officer Sunil Kumar were on the glider on a training routine sortie when it crashed near the naval base. The personnel were rescued from the crash site and taken to INHS Sanjivani, the Navy’s multispecialty hospital. The glider took off from the naval air station INS Garuda.
While Jha was from Uttarakhand, Kumar hailed from Bihar, according to The Indian Express.
The spokesperson said the personnel succumbed to their injuries at the hospital.
Southern Naval Command has ordered an inquiry into the incident, the spokesperson said, adding that the remains of the glider was being salvaged.
The incident came two days after another Navy officer, Madhusudhan Reddy, was killed in a Karwar, Karnataka, after his glider plunged into the sea. His trainer, Vidyadhar Vaidya, sustained injuries and was admitted to a hospital.
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