Indian Navy’s Dornier Surveillance Aircraft Crashes Off Goa During Training Exercise, 2 Officers Missing

An Indian Navy surveillance aircraft crashed into the sea off the coast of the western state of Goa Tuesday night, local media reports said Wednesday. The Dornier aircraft was reportedly carrying three officers, one of whom has been rescued while the other two remain missing.

Authorities reportedly said that the last known position of the aircraft was about 25 nautical miles southwest of Goa in the Arabian Sea. The incident took place during a low-flying training exercise. A search and rescue operation has reportedly been launched for the two missing officers -- a captain and an observer. Over six warships and several aircraft are reportedly involved in the search operation.

The third officer was rescued by fishermen and has been admitted to a hospital, The Times of India, a local newspaper reported. A Navy spokesman reportedly said that the cause of the accident was unclear.