Ballari, 18 April

Two Indian Air Force personnel were seriously injured during a parachute training exercise on the outskirts of Ballari on Friday morning after they fell from a height of approximately 50 feet due to a technical issue at landing.

“Both soldiers sustained leg fractures from the impact of the fall," said police.

The incident took place in the PD Halli area, where 417 personnel were taking part in a training camp. During a routine jump from an aircraft, a technical issue reportedly occurred during the landing phase, Ballari Superintendent of Police Dr Suman D Pennekar told Salar News. The two soldiers crashed directly into an agricultural field.

Both soldiers were given first aid locally and later airlifted by a military helicopter from the ITI College ground in Ballari to a military hospital in Bengaluru for advanced treatment. One of the injured has been identified as Chinnaraj, 25, and the identity of the other was not immediately clear.

The Indian Air Force has not yet issued a detailed statement on the cause of the technical issue.

The PD Halli region has been used for parachute training exercises for several years, and officials termed Friday’s mishap during the landing phase as rare.