An Indian Air Force (IAF) plane carrying 29 military personnel to a remote island chain in the Bay of Bengal went missing on Friday, the military said.
The Russian-made AN-32 was on its way to Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar chain of islands, from the southeast city of Chennai when it disappeared from radar.
“A search operation is on. The plane was airborne at 8:30am (0300 GMT) and was supposed to land at Port Blair at 11:30,” Wing Commander Anupam Banerjee told AFP.
There were six crew on the aircraft, a workhorse of the air force.
A navy spokesman said surveillance planes and ships were searching for the aircraft. It was carrying service personnel to the strategic islands near the Malacca Straits, where India has a military base.
Over 100 AN-32 aircraft are currently in service with the IAF, NDTVreported. The plane can fly for up to four hours without refueling.