Pilot from Odisha among 13 onboard IAF’s missing AN-32 aircraft

Nation Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Flight Lieutenant Sunit Mohanty, a native of Ganjam district of Odisha is among the 13 Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel who went missing after IAF’s AN-32 aircraft went off the radar in Arunachal Pradesh on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Indian Air Force (IAF) intensified the search operation to trace the aircraft that has gone missing in Arunachal Pradesh after taking off from Assam’s Jorhat. It has deployed more assets and roped in the local civic and police agencies in its effort. Sunit is a native of Baliapalli in Kabisuryanagar area in Ganjam district.

The Russian-made transport plane took off from Jorhat at 12.27 pm on Monday for the Mechuka Advanced Landing Ground in Arunachal Pradesh. Its last contact with the ground control was at 1 pm.

A total of eight aircrew and five passengers were on board the aircraft.

Meanwhile, residents of an Arunachal Pradesh village on Thursday claimed that they had seen thick black smoke billowing from a mountain on Monday, the day the IAF aircraft went missing.

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