Five Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel, including the pilot, died after an AN-32 cargo aircraft crashed while landing at the Air Force Station in Assam's Jorhat on Saturday, the IAF confirmed.
The accident was first reported on Saturday morning, with the Air Force later confirming the deaths of all five personnel on board.
The deceased are identified as squadron leader Prashant Singh, flight lieutenant Shubham Kumar, sergeant Jitendra Sharma, Agniveervayu Khemaram Kumawat and Agniveervayu Danish Alam.
"The Indian Air Force deeply regrets the loss of five personnel in the An-32 accident at Jorhat, Assam. Sqn Ldr Prashant Singh, Flt Lt Shubham Kumar, Sgt Jitendra Sharma, Agniveervayu Khemaram Kumawat and Agniveervayu Danish Alam made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty," the IAF said in a post on X.
{{/usCountry}}"The Indian Air Force deeply regrets the loss of five personnel in the An-32 accident at Jorhat, Assam. Sqn Ldr Prashant Singh, Flt Lt Shubham Kumar, Sgt Jitendra Sharma, Agniveervayu Khemaram Kumawat and Agniveervayu Danish Alam made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty," the IAF said in a post on X.
{{/usCountry}}The co-pilot of the aircraft sustained injuries and is being treated at an IAF medical facility in Jorhat.
The Air Force also extended its condolences to the families of the deceased and said it stands firmly with them in this time of grief. "IAF deeply regrets the loss of lives and stands firmly with the bereaved families in this time of grief," IAF wrote.
Earlier in the day, the IAF reported that an AN-32 cargo plane used for transporting supplies crashed while attempting to land at the Air Force Station in Jorhat. In its first statement, the Air Force said that the "pilot may have lost his life" in the accident.
"A military aircraft crashed at the Air Force Station in Jorhat, Assam, during landing. The aircraft involved was an AN-32 cargo plane used for transporting supplies. The accident occurred while the aircraft was attempting to land at the airbase," the IAF said.
Subsequently, the IAF issued another statement saying the aircraft had met with an accident during a routine sortie at 10am.
"An IAF An-32 aircraft met with an accident during a routine sortie today at approximately 10:00h at Jorhat, Assam. Crash site management and initial enquiries are on at this time. IAF requests everyone to refrain from speculation till preliminary results are not in," the statement said.
The aircraft came down within the premises of the Rowriah Air Force Station in Jorhat. Rescue teams went to the crash site soon after the accident. The cause of the crash is yet to be established and the Air Force authorities said that they are investigating the circumstances that led to the accident.
According to defence experts, the AN-32 is one of the Indian Air Force's principal transport aircraft and is extensively used for logistics, troop movement and supply missions, including operations in remote and difficult terrain.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the state government was aware of the incident and was awaiting details from the authorities concerned.
The accident comes a little over three months after another major IAF crash in Assam. On March 6, a Sukhoi-30MKI fighter aircraft on a training mission crashed in the hills of Karbi Anglong district after losing radar contact shortly after taking off from Jorhat. Both pilots on board, squadron leader Anuj and flight lieutenant Purvesh Duragkar, were killed in the crash.