5 killed in military transport plane crash in India

At least five Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel were killed Saturday after an AN-32 transport aircraft crashed in India's northeastern state of Assam, reported agencies.

The Indian Air Force confirmed that the aircraft crashed during a landing attempt at the Jorhat airfield around 10:00 am, reported ANI.

The deceased personnel were identified as Squadron Leader Prashant Singh, Flight Lieutenant Shubham Kumar, Sergeant Jitendra Sharma, Agniveervayu Khemaram Kumawat and Agniveervayu Danish Alam.

An eyewitness to the crash told ANI, "A plane arrived and landed here. Before landing, it released white smoke. After that, when black smoke came out, it started making noise. After the noise, this entire area started shaking as if there was an earthquake. People gathered here and saw that there was a plane."

The AN-32 is a twin-engine military transport aircraft that has been extensively used by the Indian Air Force for logistics, cargo transportation and operational support missions across diverse terrains, including high-altitude and remote regions.

According to the Ministry of Defence, IAF is mulling replacing its ageing AN-32 and IL-76 transport aircraft with the Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA) programme to meet future strategic, tactical and operational airlift requirements.