Five members of the Indian Air Force lost their lives after a military transport aircraft crashed during a flight operation in the northeastern state of Assam. The aircraft, an Antonov An-32, went down in the Jorhat area while carrying out what the Air Force described as a routine mission.
Crash Details and Emergency Response
The Indian Air Force confirmed the fatalities on Saturday and said emergency teams were deployed to the scene immediately after the incident. The aircraft met with an accident during the sortie, but the circumstances surrounding the crash have not yet been established.
Crash site management and initial enquiries are ongoing at this time, the Air Force said in a statement. Officials also confirmed that a formal investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the accident.
Wreckage and Investigation
Television footage from the crash location showed heavy smoke rising from the wreckage. Images also indicated that the aircraft had broken apart on impact. The Antonov An-32 is a twin-engine military transport aircraft widely used by the Indian Air Force for personnel movement and cargo operations. India maintains a sizeable fleet of the aircraft, with roughly 100 currently in service.
Related Incident: Plane Crash in South Sudan
In a related story, a small passenger aircraft crashed in South Sudan, killing all 14 people on board, according to the country's civil aviation authority. The South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority confirmed that the victims included the pilot and 13 passengers, among them 12 South Sudanese nationals and two Kenyans.
The ill-fated flight, operated by CityLink Aviation Ltd, departed from Yei at about 09:15 local time on Monday morning en route to Juba. Officials said communication with the aircraft was lost roughly 30 minutes into the journey before it eventually went down about 20 kilometres south-west of the capital.
Weather Conditions Suspected
Preliminary findings suggest adverse weather may have played a role in the tragedy, particularly poor visibility, although investigations are ongoing. In a statement, the aviation authority said the crash site had been secured and a team dispatched to establish the exact cause of the incident. Initial reports have suggested the aircraft may have come down due to adverse weather conditions, particularly low visibility, the authority stated.
Air Canada Plane Crash Photos Emerge
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported photos from the Air Canada plane crash at New York's LaGuardia Airport, which claimed the lives of two pilots. The Jazz Aviation flight operating on behalf of Air Canada struck a Port Authority vehicle. The fire truck was responding to a separate incident around 11:40 p.m. on Sunday, March 22, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
