IAF in action to locate missing AN-32 aircraft, search operations to continue overnight

An Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft AN-32 with as many as 13 people onboard has gone missing hours after it took off from Jorhat in Assam.

The aircraft last contacted ground sources at 1 PM today after taking off from Jorhat airbase. (Representative Image/ PTI)

New Delhi: An Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft AN-32 with as many as 13 people on board has gone missing hours after it took off from Jorhat in Assam. According to reports, aircraft took off today from Jorhat at 1225 hours for Menchuka Advance Landing ground. The aircraft last contacted ground sources at 1 pm today after taking off from Jorhat airbase at 12:25 pm, news agency ANI reported. IAF has launched Sukhoi-30 combat aircraft and C-130 Special operation aircraft on a search mission for locating plane. "IAF is coordinating with Indian Army, various government and civil agencies to locate the missing aircraft. Search operations will continue from air and by ground parties of Indian Army through the night," Air Force official Twitter handle posted. Newly appointed Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has spoke to Air Force officials and took stock of the situation. Apart from this, the IAF has deployed all possible sources to locate the missing aircraft. Reports also suggest that the aircraft had eight crew members including pilots and five passengers on board. The Menchuka Advance Landing ground is located in the Menchuka Valley in West Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh, close to 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," Singh tweeted.

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

Guwahati-based Defence Ministry spokesman Lt. Col. P. Khongsai said that efforts were on to trace the missing aircraft. "All available resources have been employed to locate the plane," a source told news agency IANS. Antonov An-32 (NATO reporting name: Cline) is a twin-engined turboprop military transport aircraft. In 2016, another An-32 aircraft disappeared while flying over the Bay of Bengal after taking off from Chennai for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The search and rescue operation launched by IAF was India's largest such operation for a missing plane on the sea in history. However, the aircraft was never found and all 29 people on board were presumed dead.