Indian Air Force’s plane with 13 on board goes missing

By Ahmad Adil

CHANDIGARH, India (AA) - An Indian Air Force (IAF) plane carrying 13 personnel has gone missing after it took off from a town in the country’s northeastern state of Assam on Monday afternoon, officials said.

The authorities have launched a search operation to trace the missing aircraft.

Roshni Aparanji Korati, deputy commissioner of Jorhat district in Assam, told Anadolu Agency that the aircraft of Indian Air Force took off from Jorhat in the afternoon and didn't reach the destination.

Meanwhile, Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh prayed for the safety of all the passengers on board.

“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 said in a Twitter post.

Local media reported that the aircraft was a transport plane.

“The Antonov AN-32 took off at 12:25 pm [0655 GMT] for a remote military landing strip in Mechuka in Arunachal Pradesh,” local broadcaster NDTV reported.

“The terrain under the flight's route is mountainous and heavily-forested. The landing and take-off approaches to Mechuka are extremely difficult,” the broadcaster said.