FILE PHOTO
According to reports IAF plane was flying to a landing strip near the China border. The plane had eight crew members and five passengers onboard.
AGENCIES
An Indian Air Force transport aircraft has gone missing after taking off from an airbase in Assam. The last contact with the aircraft — an Antonov An-32 military transport aircraft — was at around 1pm today. 13 people were onboard the plane, including eight crew members and five passengers.
The Indian Air Force has deployed all available resources, including Sukhoi Su-30 combat fighter jets and C-130 Hercules special operations aircraft, to locate the aircraft.
Troops in the ground too have fanned out to hunt for the missing An-32.
The Antonov An-32 had taken off from Jorhat in Assam and was heading to the Mechuka Advanced Landing Ground, located in Mechuka Valley in Arunachal Pradesh.
The plane lost contact around 35 minutes after taking off. The Mechuka Advanced Landing Ground is located near the China border.
Spoke to Vice Chief of @IAF_MCC, Air Marshal Rakesh Singh Bhadauria regarding the missing IAF AN-32 Aircraft which is overdue for some hours.
He has apprised me of the steps taken by the IAF to find the missing aircraft. I pray for the safety of all passengers on board.
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) June 3, 2019