IAF aircraft missing over Bay of Bengal with 29 on board

The aircraft departed from Tambaram, Chennai at 8.30 am and was due at Port Blair at 11.30 am. The aircraft has not reached. Search operations are on

An Indian Air Force AN-32 with 29 people on board went missing over the Bay of Bengal on Friday. The aircraft was flying from Chennai to Port Blair. Those on board included six crew members.

The aircraft departed from Tambaram, Chennai, at 8.30 am, and was due at Port Blair at 11.30 am. Search operations are on.

Officials said it was a “courier flight” with service personnel on board.

A major search and rescue operation has been launched by the Indian Navy in the Bay of Bengal. Four coast guard ships and two Dornier aircraft have been deployed for  the search operations.

The Eastern Naval Command (ENC) deploys two P8i Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft with advanced electro-optics and radars, two Dornier aircraft and 12 ships with integral helicopters to join the search operations initiated to locate the Indian Air Force AN-32.

Four ships of ENC deployed in the Bay of Bengal on various missions have been diverted to the search area and eight ships of the Eastern Fleet returning from the South China Sea have also joined the search.

A submarine has also been diverted to the area to locate the emergency beacon onboard the aircraft.