Indian Air Force plane missing with 13 on board

GUWAHATI, INDIA: An Indian military aircraft with 13 people on board went missing on Monday in the northeast of the country, the defence ministry said.

The Russian-built Antonov An-32 took off from Jorhat in Assam state at 12:25 pm (0655 GMT) headed for Mechuka in Arunachal Pradesh, bordering China.

"The aircraft last contacted ground agencies at 1300 hrs, thereafter there has been no contact," the defence ministry said in a statement.
"A total of eight crew and five passengers were onboard the aircraft."

Spoke to Vice Chief of @IAF_MCC, Air Marshal Rakesh Singh Bhadauria regarding the missing IAF AN-32 Aircraft which is overdue for some hours.

He has apprised me of the steps taken by the IAF to find the missing aircraft. I pray for the safety of all passengers on board.

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) June 3, 2019

Spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel P Khongsai said every effort was being made to locate the missing plane. Crashes by India's sizeable fleet of ageing Russian military aircraft are relatively common.

An IAF AN-32 took off from Jorhat at 1227 hrs for Menchuka ALG. Aircraft last contacted ground control at 1300 hrs. There was no further contact with the aircraft. Efforts are on to establish the whereabouts of the aircraft. 1/4

— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) June 3, 2019