Plane crash in Northern Afghanistan, not Indian: DGCA clarifies identity

Guwahati, Jan 21: In a tragic incident reported by Reuters, a plane crashed in the remote mountainous region of northern Afghanistan’s Badakshan province on Saturday night. Contrary to the initial speculations, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) clarified that the involved aircraft was neither an Indian scheduled nor a non-scheduled/charter flight.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation took to social media to inform about the developments: “The unfortunate plane crash that has just occurred in Afghanistan is neither an Indian Scheduled Aircraft nor a Non Scheduled (NSOP)/Charter aircraft. It is a Moroccan registered small aircraft. More details are awaited.”

The aircraft in question has been identified as a Moroccan-registered DF-10. According to a senior DGCA official, the crash occurred in the mountains of Topkhana, near the districts of Kuran-Munjan and Zibak in Badakhshan province.

Further details from the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation reveal that the aircraft was an air ambulance en route from Thailand to Moscow. Notably, it made a scheduled landing at Gaya Airport for refuelling purposes before continuing its journey.