GUWAHATI : Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi on Saturday called for a proper inquiry into the deaths of five Indian Air Force personnel in a transport aircraft crash in Jorhat.

Gogoi also expressed his deepest condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the departed souls.

“I urge the government and the Defence Ministry to conduct a proper inquiry into the mishap and identify the primary cause so that measures are taken to prevent such accidents in the future,” he said in a social media post.

The deputy leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha said that it was “very unfortunate that these five bravehearts laid down their lives while on duty”.

“The people of the nation will always remember their sacrifice with gratitude,” Gogoi said.

Five Indian Air Force personnel, including two officers, were killed when their Russian-origin Antonov An-32 transport aircraft crashed while landing at Jorhat on Saturday.

The co-pilot of the aircraft sustained injuries and is undergoing treatment at a military hospital in Jorhat, sources said. Six personnel were onboard the plane.

The aircraft met with the accident during a routine sortie at approximately 10 am, according to the IAF.

The deceased personnel are Squadron Leader Prashant Singh, Flight Lieutenant Shubham Kumar, Sergeant Jitendra Sharma, Agniveervayu Khemaram Kumawat and Agniveervayu Danish Alam.

A court of inquiry has been constituted to ascertain the cause of the accident. It is learnt that the aircraft was set to fly to Chabua military base from Jorhat Air Force station but requested a landing shortly after taking off.

Sources said the aircraft lost control upon touchdown and skidded off the runway. It hurtled across the parallel taxiway, snapping into two segments before being engulfed in flames, they added. (Source: PTI)