Operations at the Goa International Airport, in southwest India, were temporarily stopped for a few hours on Saturday after a minor fire incident.

The fire was caused by a drop tank of "MiG 29K" aircraft which got detached whilst taking off.

"While taking off for an operational mission from Dabolim airfield at about 1300 hours on June 8, the external fuel tank of a 'MiG 29K' aircraft got jettisoned inadvertently on the runway. A minor fire was caused due to fuel spillage. Emergency Services were immediately pressed in to quickly re-operationalise the runway," said an official press release issued by the Indian Navy.

Civil operations were re-commenced at the airport after a couple of hours, said Indian Navy sources.