Indian Air Force plane with 29 people on board goes missing

Chennai/New Delhi: A transport plane of the Indian Air Force with 29 people on board went missing on Friday while flying from Chennai to Port Blair.

File picture of AN-32

The AN-32 aircraft took off at 0830 hours from Tambaram in Chennai and the last contact with it was made 16 minutes later, defence sources said. The aircraft can fly for up to four hours without refuelling.

A massive search and rescue operation has been launched by the IAF, Navy and the Coast Guard, deploying five aircraft and 13 ships for tracking the plane which made the last radio contact at 0846 hours, 16 minutes after take off from Tambaram air base. The 29 people on board the Air Force's workhorse for a long period included two pilots, a navigator besides personnel from the Navy and the Army.

"The plane, which was on a routine courier service, took off at about 0830 hours from Tambaram and it was scheduled to land at Port Blair at 1130 hours but it is overdue," IAF spokesperson Wing Commander Anupam Banerjee said.

Defence sources said the plane was at about 23,000 feet when the last contact was established. While IAF has pressed into service a C130 plane along with two AN32, the Navy has deployed two P8i maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft from the strategically important Port Blair.

The Navy has pressed into service two Dornier aircraft and 13 ships with the Eastern Fleet Commander on board for the search and rescue operation.

Navy spokesperson Captain D K Sharma said, "Navy has been deployed in full force in the Bay of Bengal for the search and rescue operation".