Military Plane Accident in India: Authorities Assess Damage and Casualties
New Delhi — An Indian Air Force transport plane crashed while landing at the Jorhat air force station in Assam on Saturday, the military confirmed. Footage broadcast by news channel NDTV showed thick black smoke rising from the crash site and the aircraft apparently broken apart on the ground.
The plane was a Russian-built Antonov An-32, a twin-engine turboprop specifically engineered for high-altitude performance and extreme weather conditions. The Indian Air Force operates roughly 100 of the aircraft, relying on them to move military supplies and deliver civilian aid to some of the country’s most remote mountain regions.
The military did not disclose how many personnel were on board at the time, and no official casualty figures have been released. “A court of inquiry is being constituted, to ascertain the cause of the accident,” the air force said in a statement.
- Twin-engine turboprop built for high-altitude and extreme-climate operations
- Indian Air Force fleet: approximately 100 in active service
- Primary roles: military logistics, humanitarian aid in remote mountain areas
- Last major crash: June 2019, Arunachal Pradesh — 13 personnel killed, aircraft never recovered
Saturday’s incident marks the most serious known accident involving the type since June 2019, when an An-32 disappeared over Arunachal Pradesh, near the border with China, killing all 13 people on board. That aircraft was never fully recovered from the mountainous terrain.
Jorhat, in Assam state, serves as a key logistics hub for the Indian Air Force’s northeastern operations. The cause of Saturday’s crash remains under investigation.
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