A massive search operation involving the Indian Air Force and the Army is under way to locate the AN-32 transport aircraft that went missing with 13 people onboard just 35 minutes after taking off from Jorhat in Assam on Monday afternoon.
The IAF and the army have pooled their resources to keep two planes – a C-130 and AN-32 aircraft – and two choppers in the air to try locating the missing aircraft.
“Some ground reports were received on possible location of a crash site. Helicopters were routed to the location, however, no wreckage has been sighted so far,” the Indian Air Force said. The statement rebuts reports that the plane had crashed and the wreckage had been found.
A total of eight aircrew and five passengers were onboard the aircraft, the IAF said in a statement.
An IAF spokesperson also underlined that the search operation was a combined effort. “IAF is coordinating with Indian Army as well as various government and civil agencies to locate the missing aircraft,” the spokesperson said.
The IAF said the search operations from air and by ground parties of Indian Army are planned to continue through the night.
The aircraft was flying to Mechuka Advanced Landing Ground, a landing strip that had been renovated just a few years ago in the eastern Himalayas of Arunachal Pradesh’s West Siang district.
The landing strip is about 30-odd km from the nearest point on the India-China border.
The AN-32 took off from Jorhat in Assam at 12.27 pm and last contacted ground agencies at 1 pm. “Thereafter, there was no contact with the aircraft,” the IAF said.
When the aircraft did not reach the destination, overdue actions were initiated by Indian Air Force.