An AN-32 Aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) with 29 people on board went missing over the Bay of Bengal on Friday, Defence Ministry sources said. Those on board included six crew members.
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Indian air force spokeman Anupam Banerjee told reporters that the last communication from the aircraft was about 15 minutes after take-off.
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. “It was expected to reach Port Blair by 11:30 am, however, as of now it is overdue”, he said.
A massive search by the air force, navy and coast guard has been launched for the missing plane.
“The last Radio Transmission contact was established around 8.46 am”, he added.
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.
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A defense ministry statement said that four naval ships deployed in the Bay of Bengal on different missions have joined the search and eight other ships are returning from the South China Sea to join the search operations.
