Indian Air Force’s AN-32 transport aircraft crashed at Roureah Air Force Station in Assam’s Jorhat on Saturday. The aircraft, identified as an AN-32 carrier plane, reportedly went down within the vicinity of the strategically important air base in Upper Assam.
The IAF said a Court of Inquiry is being constituted to determine the cause of the accident. The plane was to fly from Arunachal Pradesh to Jorhat.
Sources said the pilot of the ill-fated aircraft is feared dead. Details regarding any other crew members on board were not immediately available.
“A military aircraft crashed at the Air Force Station in Jorhat, Assam, during landing. The aircraft involved was an AN-32 cargo plane used for transporting supplies. The accident occurred while the aircraft was attempting to land at the airbase. There are fears that the pilot may have lost his life in the crash. Further details are awaited as rescue and investigation efforts continue at the site,” said IAF.
Roureah Air Force Station is one of the key Indian Air Force installations in the Northeast and plays a crucial role in air operations across Assam and the region.
“I could see the tail section of the aircraft and thick black smoke billowing into the sky. The plane appeared to be stationary. As I started moving away from the area, there was a massive explosion. The entire area shook from the impact,” said a local resident living near the boundary wall of the Air Force Station.
