Five Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel were killed after an AN-32 transport aircraft met with an accident while landing at the airbase in Assam’s Jorhat on Saturday. The IAF officials confirmed the development in an updated statement.
According to the Air Force, the aircraft caught fire after landing within the airbase premises, prompting an immediate emergency response. Firefighting teams were rushed to the spot as efforts were made to contain the situation.
The IAF later confirmed that five personnel onboard lost their lives in the crash, while the co-pilot survived and is currently undergoing medical treatment.
The Air Force identified the deceased as Squadron Leader Prashant Singh, Flight Lieutenant Shubham Kumar, Sergeant Jitendra Sharma, Agniveervayu Khemaram Kumawat, and Agniveervayu Danish Alam. The IAF expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and said it stands firmly with them in this difficult time.
The Indian Air Force has ordered an inquiry to determine the cause of the accident. The circumstances leading to the crash are still under investigation and further details are expected once the inquiry progresses.
Jorhat Air Force Station is one of the key military airbases in northeastern India and regularly handles transport aircraft operations.
This comes months after two pilots of the Indian Air Force were killed in a Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jet crash in the Karbi Anglong district of Assam. On March 5, the twin-seat fighter aircraft took off for a routine sortie from the Jorhat Air Force Station and lost communication with ground control at around 7:42 pm. After that, the aircraft could no longer be tracked. Officials said the fighter jet eventually crashed in a remote hilly area of Karbi Anglong district, located about 60 km from Jorhat.