NEW DELHI

An Indian Air Force training aircraft crashed in the northern Uttar Pradesh state, police said, with both pilots emerging unharmed.

On a routine sortie from air force station Bamrauli near Prayagraj, a Microlite aircraft faced a technical malfunction and was “safely force landed in an uninhabited area, ensuring no damage to civil life or property,” the Indian Air Force said on the US social media company X.

“Both the pilots (who were) on board are safe,” it said, adding that a probe into the cause of the accident is underway.

Manish Shandilya, a local police officer, said the training aircraft "crashed after its engine developed a sudden technical snag," reported the Press Trust of India.