GUWAHATI: Twelve peo­ple were injured on Tuesday when a Myanmar military plane overshot a runway while landing in India to collect soldiers who had fled armed insurgents fighting their country’s junta.

The Chinese-made Shaanxi Y-8 turboprop skidded off the tarmac shortly before midday at Lengpui, the main airport of India’s Mizoram state. An Airport Autho­rity of India (AAI) official at Lengpui said that the flight was collecting 92 soldiers who had crossed into India from neighbouring Myanmar last week.

Of the 12 injured, “four are stated to be serious,” added the official, who requested anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media. Footage of the crash’s aftermath aired by local broadcasters showed the bent fuselage of the transport plane, which had cut a swath through tall grass after sliding down an embankment.

The crash was caused by “sudden engine failure” while landing at the airport, Myanmar’s junta said in a statement. It said eight crew members were injured and receiving medical treatment, without giving details.

The flight was supposed to return the final contingent of 276 Myanmar troops who had crossed into India last week to escape an advance by armed insurgents. Clashes have rocked parts of Myanmar near the Indian border since the Arakan Army (AA) attacked security forces in November, ending a ceasefire that had largely held since a 2021 military coup.

But this month the group said it had taken over the major town of Paletwa and six military bases along the border of Mizoram. Myanmar’s air force has seen a number of fatal crashes over the past decade.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2024