Indian Military Transport Plane Crashes, Killing 5 Air Force Personnel

The Indian military announced in a statement that a military transport plane crashed while landing at a remote base in northeastern India, resulting in the deaths of five air force personnel.

The Indian Air Force stated in a release: 'The Indian Air Force deeply regrets the loss of five personnel in the Antonov An-32 aircraft accident at Jorhat, Assam.'

The statement did not specify the total number of people on board or whether there were any survivors. However, an air force official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on media communication, said the co-pilot survived.

New Delhi Television (NDTV) broadcast footage from the crash site showing thick smoke and the aircraft clearly broken into several pieces.

Earlier, the air force said the Soviet-made Antonov An-32 transport plane was on a 'routine mission' when it crashed during its approach to land.

The air force emphasized that 'a court of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident.'

The An-32 is a twin-engine turboprop transport aircraft specifically designed to operate in high-altitude and extreme climatic conditions.

The Indian Air Force operates around 100 An-32 aircraft, used for military logistics and humanitarian aid missions in the country's most remote mountainous regions.

The last major accident involving this aircraft type occurred in 2019 in Arunachal Pradesh near the Chinese border, killing 13 people.