Ranchi, Jun 13 (PTI) Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Saturday condoled the death of five Indian Air Force personnel in a transport aircraft crash at Jorhat in Assam, saying the nation salutes their courage, dedication and supreme sacrifice.
The Russian-origin AN-32 aircraft met with an accident during a routine sortie around 10 am.
The deceased personnel are Squadron Leader Prashant Singh, Flight Lieutenant Shubham Kumar, Sergeant Jitendra Sharma, Agniveer Vayu Khemaram Kumawat and Agniveer Vayu Danish Alam.
“Deeply saddened by the tragic AN-32 aircraft accident in Jorhat, Assam, in which five brave Indian Air Force personnel lost their lives in the line of duty. The nation salutes their courage, dedication, and supreme sacrifice,” Soren
posted on X.
“My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. Praying for strength and peace for all those grieving this irreparable loss,” he added.
A court of inquiry has been constituted to ascertain the cause of the accident.
Sources said the aircraft lost control upon touchdown and skidded off the runway and hurtled across the parallel taxiway, snapping into two segments before being engulfed in flames.
The An-32 is a Soviet-designed twin-engine turboprop transport aircraft. The AN-32 planes have been serving the IAF as a reliable workhorse for decades, ferrying personnel and air-dropping vital supplies into some of the world’s most demanding terrains. The fleet has undergone multiple rounds of upgrades to extend its operational life.
The IAF has been looking at replacing the ageing fleet of transport aircraft. In 2022, the IAF issued a Request for Information (RFI) to purchase medium transport aircraft (MTA) to replace its aging fleet of the AN-32 and IL-76 planes. PTI SAN SAN ACD
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