Spoke to Vice Chief of @IAF_MCC, Air Marshal Rakesh Singh Bhadauria regarding the missing IAF AN-32 Aircraft which… https://t.co/JN0rrS625B — Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) 1559558942000

NEW DELHI: An AN-32 transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force with 13 people on board went missing after taking off from Assam's Jorhat at 12.24pm on Monday.The aircraft, carrying 8 crew members and 5 passengers, was headed for the Mechuka Advance Landing Ground in Arunachal Pradesh when it went off radar. It has not been in contact with ground agencies since 1pm.The Indian Air Force has deployed a Sukhoi-30 combat aircraft and a C-130 Special Ops aircraft on a search mission to locate the missing aircraft."Spoke to Vice Chief of @IAF_MCC, Air Marshal Rakesh Singh Bhadauria regarding the missing IAF AN-32 Aircraft which is overdue for some hours. He has apprised me of the steps taken by the IAF to find the missing aircraft. I pray for the safety of all passengers on board," defence minister Rajnath Singh tweeted.The biggest AN-32 crash in recent times took place in 2016 when an aircraft carrying 29 people went down in the Bay of Bengal.