ANKARA

An Indian Air Force trainer aircraft crashed in the country's southern Karnataka state on Thursday, according to an official statement.

A Kiran trainer aircraft crashed near Chamrajnagar, Karnataka on Thursday, while it is on a "routine training sortie," the air force said.

"Both aircrew ejected safely," the statement posted on Twitter said.

The Indian Air Force has ordered a court of inquiry "to ascertain the cause of the accident."

Last month, an MiG-21 jet of the Indian air force crashed in the western state of Rajasthan, killing three civilians on the ground.