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IAF's AN-32 aircraft splits in two after crash landing in Assam's Jorhat, 5 feared dead: Video
Five IAF personnel are believed to have died in the crash, while the co-pilot is said to have survived the incident and undergoing treatment.
An Indian Air Force (IAF) AN-32 transport aircraft met with an accident in Assam's Jorhat on Saturday, the air force said in a statement, adding that there are fears they pilot may have lost his life in the crash.
The IAF later confirmed that five personnel died in the crash earlier today and offered its condolences.
The crash occurred when the turboprop twin-engine aircraft was making a landing at the Jorhat Air Force station in Assam. The cause of the crash is yet to be ascertained and an inquiry has been ordered.
Videos surfaced purportedly of the aftermath of the crash, showing the aircraft split into two at the Jorhat airstrip.
Soon after the crash-landing, emergency response team rushed to the site to carry out firefighting and rescue operations. The footage showed rescue workers trying to douse the fire, which reportedly occurred after the landing.
Footage from the site purportedly showed the aircraft lying adjacent to the runway after crash-landing. HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the videos.
"An IAF An-32 aircraft met with an accident today while landing at Jorhat. A court of inquiry is being constituted, to ascertain the cause of the accident," an air force spokesperson said in a statement.
In 2019, the AN-32 aircraft crashed over Arunachal Pradesh after taking off from Assam's Jorhat. The An-32 took off from Jorhat on June 3, 2019 and was on its way to an advanced landing ground at Mechuka in Arunachal Pradesh’s Shi Yomi district when it lost contact with ground control.
Rescuers later found the wreckage during a search operation 16 kms North of Lipo, North East of Tato in Arunachal.
