The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Friday stated that no IAF aircraft crashed near Kishtwar as was being ‘falsely’ disseminated by certain media outlets and social media handles.
IAF spokesperson, in a press statement, said, “There are certain media outlets and SM (social media) handles claiming an IAF aircraft has crashed near Kishtwar. This report is false.”
“All media outlets are requested to verify information from official sources before publishing or transmitting,” the IAF spokesperson said.
The statement was issued after several social media posts shared a video claiming that an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft crashed in Kishtwar while referring to thick plumes of smoke rising from forests in the treacherous Padder area of the district, spreading panic in the area.
As they (posts) went viral, the IAF issued a statement rejecting all such claims (about the IAF aircraft crash).
Later, the PIB fact-check also rubbished the claims as “fake”, cautioning the people against forwarding such false, unverified posts.
Earlier, the panic spread in Padder and adjoining areas after the locals claimed that they heard an explosion-like sound followed by thick plumes of smoke from the forest stretch. The authorities were immediately alerted by the people. The incident also led to speculations about the cloudburst and lightning strike, leading to a massive forest fire.
Till late evening, no official statement was issued in this connection.
Official sources, however, stated that the Police teams led by senior officers had reached the spot.
“At present, there is a massive fire in the forests. A large-scale operation has been launched to contain it. At present, there is no confirmed input about the genesis of fire. We did not find anything suspicious. All attempts are directed at dousing the fire,” they said, while cautioning against rumour mongering.
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