Indian fighter jet crashes into bank

Wreckage of the Indian Air Force MiG-21 jet is seen in a house near the crash site

NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- Rescue operations are continuing in northwestern India where an air force fighter jet crashed into an office building, killing at least five and injuring 17 others.

The Indian Air Force jet, a Soviet made MiG-21 was on a routine flight when it somersaulted and then nose-dived into a bank building in the city of Jullundur.

The two pilots ejected from the plane, according to Defense Ministry officials and were hospitalized for injuries.

The bank and surrounding offices caught fire, trapping a number of people inside, the officials said.

CNN NewsPass VIDEO An Indian Air Force jet on a routine flight nose-dived into a bank in the city of Jullundur. CNN's Chris Wheelock reports (May 3) Play video

Jullundur, in the province of Punjab, is close to the Pakistan border where the Indian Air Force conducts daily patrol flights.

MiG-21 fighter jets make up the backbone of the Indian Air Force and nearly 100 of the aircraft have been lost in the past 10 years, according to Defense Ministry officials.

Last week, a MiG-21 crashed in the fields of the western state of Rajasthan.

Eye witness

"I saw the fighter jet roll over a couple of times before it hurtled down," eyewitness Sunil Malhotra told Associated Press.

"I saw a blast in the sky and within 20 seconds, the plane fell. I saw the pilot and co-pilot parachuting down," said the software programmer who was standing on the balcony of his house at the time of the crash.

The rear portion of the plane burned up, he said, and the front crashed into the bank building, with parts hitting other buildings in Jullundur, in India's northwestern Punjab state.

The pilot, S.K. Naik, and the co-pilot bailed out and parachuted to safety, according to India's Defense Ministry and police. They were hospitalized, but the extent of their injuries was not immediately released.

Malhotra and other witnesses reported that fire engines were delayed or had trouble getting water when they arrived. He said one fire truck broke down as it neared the site and bystanders had to push it.

The fire raged for more than three hours after the crash, according to AP.

The army and air force sent 300 men to help rescue survivors and fight the fire, said army Brig. R.S. Sandhu. "There is no proper water supply to douse the fire. About a dozen vehicles have been destroyed in the fire."

The fighter jet had taken off from the nearby Adampur air force base and was on a routine flight when it crashed, said P.K. Bandhopadhyaya, the Defense Ministry's spokesman in New Delhi.