Myanmar military aircraft skids off runway in Mizoram, 8 injured
What's the story
A Myanmar military plane—carrying 14 people—recently slid off the runway at Lengpui Airport in Mizoram on Tuesday. The incident took place during a mission to evacuate Myanmar army personnel who had sought refuge in the northeastern Indian state after intense battles with rebel groups in their home country. The Lengpui Airport's tabletop runway is known for its challenging nature, which contributed to the aircraft skidding off the runway and splitting in half.
Context
Why does this story matter?
At least, 276 Myanmarese soldiers entered Bandukbanga village, located at the India-Myanmar-Bangladesh trijunction in Mizoram's Lawngtlai district. They sought assistance from the Assam Rifles after their camp was overtaken by the Arakan Army, a Myanmarese insurgent group fighting for an independent Rakhine State. The soldiers were initially taken to the Assam Rifles camp at Parva and later moved to Lunglei for supervision. It was them that Myanmar's Shaanxi Y-8 aircraft was repatriating.
Details
At least eight people injured in crash
While the exact number of injured people remains unclear, NDTV reported that eight people suffered injuries. AFP has said that 12 people were injured. Four people are said to be in serious condition. India and Myanmar share a 1,643-km border spanning Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh. Of this, only 10 kilometers (in Manipur) is fenced. Myanmmar has been under military rule since February 1, 2021.
Twitter Post
Visuals of the plane after crash
A Myanmar Army Plane has met woth an accident today after landing at Lengpui Airport at Mizoram. The aircraft came to airlift the Myanmar troops who had crossed into India over the past week. The Pilot overshot leading to the accident and injuring 8 out of the 13 crew members. pic.twitter.com/aJV6AETRre
— Singh (@Duorope) January 23, 2024
What Next?
Repatriation process underway for Myanmarese soldiers
The incident came after India started repatriating Myanmarese soldiers. 184 of them were already sent back to the war-torn country on Monday. The repatriation process began with the group being flown on Myanmar Air Force planes from Lengpui airport near Aizawl to Sittwe in Myanmar's Rakhine State. An Assam Rifles official confirmed that the remaining 92 soldiers will be repatriated on Tuesday. The entire group is led by a colonel and includes 36 officers and 240 lower-ranking personnel.