JORHAT: An Indian Air Force (IAF) AN-32 tactical transport aircraft crashed and caught fire at the Air Force Station in Assam’s Jorhat on Saturday morning. According to initial military reports, the sturdy cargo aircraft went down inside the operational perimeter of the Rowriah airbase during its landing phase, triggering a massive fire upon impact. Specialized emergency response teams and fire tenders were immediately scrambled to the crash site to contain the blaze and secure the military zone.
The precise technical or operational cause of the landing crash is yet to be ascertained by experts, and official details regarding any crew casualties or injuries remain unclear at this hour. The Indian Air Force formally confirmed the incident, stating that further situational updates will be provided following a complete on-ground assessment by senior officers. In the meantime, the IAF has officially ordered a high-level Court of Inquiry to thoroughly investigate the circumstances leading to the AN-32 crash.
The Antonov AN-32 is a rugged, twin-engine turboprop tactical military transport aircraft that has long served as the reliable “workhorse” and logistical backbone of the Indian Air Force. Originally engineered and manufactured in the Soviet Union to match specific Indian operational blueprints, the IAF currently flies a fleet of nearly 100 of these tactical aircraft. The airframe is uniquely designed to excel in challenging environments, operating effortlessly out of high-altitude mountain airfields and hot tropical runways. It possesses the capability to ferry up to 7.5 tonnes of heavy cargo, 50 passengers, or 42 fully equipped paratroopers, and it is extensively used for critical supply drops in remote forward regions.
This high-seas airfield accident comes only months after another tragic air mishap in the state, where two pilots of the Indian Air Force were killed in a Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jet crash in Assam’s Karbi Anglong district. On March 5, the twin-seat frontline fighter aircraft had taken off for a routine training sortie from the exact same Jorhat Air Force Station before losing vital radar communication with ground control at around 7:42 PM. Following a tense search mission, officials located the wreckage in a remote and densely forested hilly terrain of the Karbi Anglong district, situated roughly 60 kilometers away from Jorhat.
ലഘു വിവരണം
അസമിലെ ജോർഹട്ട് വ്യോമസേനാ താവളത്തിൽ ലാൻഡിംഗിനിടെ ഇന്ത്യൻ വ്യോമസേനയുടെ എഎൻ-32 ചരക്കുവിമാനം തകർന്നുവീണ് തീപിടിച്ചു. ശനിയാഴ്ച രാവിലെ റൗറിയ എയർബേസ് റൺവേയിൽ ഉണ്ടായ അപകടത്തെ തുടർന്ന് അടിയന്തിര രക്ഷാപ്രവർത്തകരും ഫയർഫോഴ്സും സ്ഥലത്തെത്തി തീ അണയ്ക്കാനുള്ള ശ്രമങ്ങൾ ആരംഭിച്ചു. വിമാനാപകടത്തിന്റെ കാരണം വ്യക്തമല്ലെങ്കിലും വ്യോമസേന സംഭവത്തിൽ ഉന്നതതല കോർട്ട് ഓഫ് ഇൻക്വയറി പ്രഖ്യാപിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ട്. ഏതാനും മാസങ്ങൾക്ക് മുൻപ് ജോർഹട്ടിൽ നിന്ന് പറന്നുയർന്ന സുഖോയ് യുദ്ധവിമാനം തകർന്ന് രണ്ട് പൈലറ്റുമാർ മരിച്ച സംഭവത്തിന് പിന്നാലെയാണ് ഈ പുതിയ വിമാനാപകടം.
(With inputs from NDTV)
For more details: Navamalayalam.com