Five Indian Air Force personnel were killed after an An-32 military transport aircraft crashed during a routine sortie in India’s northeastern state of Assam on Saturday, according to officials.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) confirmed that all five people on board the aircraft lost their lives in the crash.
In a statement posted on social media platform X, the Indian Air Force said the An-32 aircraft “met with an accident” while conducting a routine sortie in Assam’s Jorhat region.
The aircraft involved was an Antonov An-32, a twin-engine turboprop transport plane widely used by the Indian Air Force for transporting personnel and cargo. The IAF said the five people killed in the accident were all serving Air Force personnel.
The Air Force said crash site management and initial inquiries were immediately launched following the incident. Officials confirmed that a court of inquiry has been constituted to determine the cause of the crash.
The Indian Air Force deeply regrets the loss of five personnel in the An-32 accident at Jorhat, Assam.
— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) June 13, 2026
Sqn Ldr Prashant Singh, Flt Lt Shubham Kumar, Sgt Jitendra Sharma, Agniveervayu Khemaram Kumawat and Agniveervayu Danish Alam made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty.… pic.twitter.com/9SmOjtS5mU
“Crash site management and initial enquiries are on at this time,” the Air Force said in its statement.
Images show wreckage and smoke
Indian news channel NDTV broadcast footage from the crash site showing a thick plume of black smoke rising from the area. The images also appeared to show the aircraft broken into several pieces following the impact.
Emergency teams were deployed to the site as authorities began recovery and investigation efforts.
The Indian Air Force operates a fleet of approximately 105 An-32 aircraft. The aircraft type has long been used for logistical operations, troop transport and cargo missions across India’s diverse terrain.
Previous An-32 crash
The latest accident is one of the deadliest involving the An-32 aircraft in recent years. The last major crash involving the twin-engine turboprop occurred in 2019 in Arunachal Pradesh near the border with China.
That accident claimed the lives of 13 people on board.
With all five crew members confirmed dead, investigators are now focusing on determining what caused the crash during the routine flight.
The findings of the court of inquiry are expected to provide further details about the circumstances surrounding the incident.
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