Guwahati: An Indian Air Force (IAF) AN-32 transport aircraft reportedly burst into flames immediately after landing at the Jorhat airbase in Assam on Saturday, prompting an immediate emergency response from military and airport firefighting teams.
While thick smoke and fire were seen billowing from the tactical transport plane, official details regarding casualties or the exact scale of the damage have not yet been released. Air Force authorities are expected to launch a formal inquiry to determine the precise cause of the sudden blaze.
The Soviet-origin, twin-engine AN-32 has been a critical asset for the IAF for decades, routinely navigating the challenging terrains and high-altitude border regions of the Northeast and the Himalayas. However, Saturday's incident serves as another grim reminder of the fleet's troubled operational history, particularly involving the Jorhat sector.
In June 2019, an AN-32 carrying 13 personnel crashed in the mountainous terrain of Arunachal Pradesh after taking off from this very same Jorhat Air Force Station, resulting in no survivors. Years earlier, in July 2016, another aircraft from the fleet vanished over the Bay of Bengal with 29 people on board during a flight from Chennai to Port Blair; despite a massive multi-year search, the wreckage was only conclusively identified in 2024. As investigation and assessment teams continue their work at the Jorhat airbase, an official statement from military authorities is still awaited.
(Inputs from IANS)