NEW DELHI: Three people died when an Indian Air Force fighter jet crashed through the roof of a house in a village in the northern border state of Rajasthan on Monday, the air force said on Monday.

The single-seater MiG-21 crashed after the pilot experienced an onboard emergency and ejected, the Indian Air Force said in a statement.

“The aircraft wreckage fell on a house in Bahlol Nagar in Hanumangarh District, unfortunately leading to the loss of three lives,” it said.

India to ground MiG-21 fighter jets by 2025: report

The pilot ejected safely and sustained minor injuries in the process, the air force said, adding that a court of inquiry had been set up to investigate the cause of the accident.

India has plans to ground its entire fleet of the Soviet-era fighter jet by 2025, local media reported last year.

The MiG-21, dubbed “the flying coffin” by the Indian media, has been the country’s key fighter jet since its introduction in 1963 but has been plagued by crashes in recent years.