New Delhi: A MiG-23 fighter of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed on April 4 morning near the Halwara air base in Phagwara district in Punjab but the pilot managed to bail out safely, an IAF spokesman said.

The spokesman said the mishap occurred around 10:30 hours (IST) when the aircraft was on a routine training sortie.

Any casualty on the ground were not immediately known and further details are awaited.

PTI