Five Indian air force personnel were killed when a military plane crashed while landing at a base in the country’s remote northeast on Saturday, the military said in a statement.

“The Indian Air Force deeply regrets the loss of five personnel in the An-32 accident at Jorhat”, a city in Assam state, the air force said in a statement.

It did not say how many people were on board at the time, or whether there were any survivors.

However, an air force official, speaking on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to brief the media, said the co-pilot had survived.

News channel NDTV broadcast images of the crash site, showing a thick black plume of smoke and the aircraft apparently broken into pieces.

The air force said it “extends its deepest condolences to the bereaved families and stands firmly with them in this hour of grief”.