Five Indian Air Force personnel were killed after an Antonov AN-32 transport aircraft crashed during a routine sortie in the northeastern Indian state of Assam on Saturday, officials said.
The aircraft went down near the Jorhat region at around 10am, prompting an emergency response and the launch of an investigation into the cause of the accident.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) said crash site management and initial inquiries were underway and urged the public to avoid speculation until preliminary findings become available.
Officials said six personnel were reportedly on board, with one survivor rescued in serious condition.
The AN-32 transport aircraft crashed shortly after take-off during what the IAF described as a routine training or operational flight.
Images from the crash site showed wreckage scattered across a field, with sections of the aircraft extensively damaged by fire.
Visuals also indicated that the aircraft's fuselage had been torn open and the airframe appeared to have split near the midsection.
The IAF said it deeply regretted the loss of five personnel and extended condolences to their families.
A court of inquiry is being constituted to determine the cause of the accident.
India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed grief over the deaths, saying the personnel made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty.
The personnel killed in the crash were identified as Squadron Leader Prashant Singh, Flight Lieutenant Shubham Kumar, Sergeant Jitendra Sharma, Agniveervayu Khemaram Kumawat and Agniveervayu Danish Alam.
The Soviet-designed AN-32 has been operated by the Indian Air Force since the 1980s and remains a key transport platform for personnel and cargo, particularly in remote and mountainous regions.
India currently operates more than 100 aircraft of the type, although plans have been reported to gradually phase out the ageing fleet by 2032.
The latest accident is one of several major AN-32 crashes in recent years.
In 2019, 13 people were killed when an AN-32 crashed in Arunachal Pradesh near the border with China.
In 2016, another AN-32 disappeared while flying from Chennai to Port Blair, killing all 29 people on board.
Earlier this year, two Indian Air Force pilots were also killed in a Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jet crash during a routine training mission in Assam.