The news of a plane crash in Afghanistan spread like wildfire in India after local Afghan media reported that an Indian aircraft bound for Moscow crashed in the Wakhan region of Badakhshan. With confirmations coming in from Afghanistan's provincial regime and local police, there was panic. It was only after the facts emerged that the origin of the aircraft was revealed.
The claim
An Indian passenger plane crashed in the Zibak district of Badakhshan province in Afghanistan on Sunday. The Badakhshan Police Command reported that the plane went off the radar and crashed in the high mountains of the "Artillery" area of Zibak district. According to a Taliban spokesperson, the plane was allegedly en route to Moscow. The aircraft is said to not be associated with any scheduled Indian operator.
The Taliban's police command in Badakhshan has reported that the plane, which disappeared from radar the night before, crashed in the elevated mountains of the Topkhana area.
Afghan's AMU TV stated that this region covers the Zibak and Kuran-Munjan districts of the province.
Fact check
Soon after the reports of an Indian plane crashing in Afghanistan emerged, International Business Times verified the information through sources in the aviation ministry IO. Contrary to the claim circulating on various sources, the plane that crashed in Afghanistan is not an Indian carrier. The aviation ministry's Information Officer clarified that the crashed aircraft is not affiliated with any Indian airline.
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.
— MoCA_GoI (@MoCA_GoI) January 21, 2024
Moments later, the Ministry of Civil Aviation released a statement on X (formerly Twitter), debunking the rumours of an Indian aircraft crash in Afghanistan. The ministry revealed that the plane involved in the crash was in fact a Moroccan-registered DF 10 aircraft. The aircraft was an air ambulance and was flying from Thailand to Moscow and had stopped at Gaya Airport for refuelling, the ministry further revealed.
In addition to that, the Russian aviation authorities confirmed communication failure with a Russian-registered aircraft transporting six passengers over Afghanistan on Saturday evening, according to Reuters. The aircraft, a French-manufactured Dassault Falcon 10 jet, was on a chartered flight originating from India, making a stopover in Uzbekistan, and intended for Moscow.
With this information, it becomes clear that the unfortunate plane crash in Afghanistan is not that of Indian carriers, but that of a Moroccan-registered air ambulance. Hence, IBTimes has arrived at the conclusion that the earlier news reports were false.
