Afghanistan crash: Amid fears, govt clarifies 'aircraft not Indian, but Moroccan'

Afghanistan crash: A passenger plane crashed Sunday in Afghanistan's remote Badakhshan province bordering China, Tajikistan, and Pakistan, according to provincial officials.

There were six people onboard that plane. The plane was a French-made Dassault Falcon 10 jet. The plane was a charter flight traveling from India via Uzbekistan to Moscow.

Passenger plane crashes in Afghanistan

The exact location and status of the aircraft remain unknown. Teams have been dispatched to the mountainous region to locate the crash site, said Zabihullah Amiri, head of Badakhshan's information department.

Residents alerted authorities about the accident Sunday morning. But difficult terrain has impeded access to the area where the plane went down.

Afghan media initially reported the downed plane was an Indian passenger jet. But India's aviation ministry quickly denied the claim, clarifying the aircraft was neither a scheduled flight nor a private charter from India.

Not an Indian flight: Aviation Ministry

Issuing a clarification on the report, the Ministry of Civil Aviation wrote on X, "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."

Details remain scarce about the origin of the crashed plane pending retrieval of its wreckage. It was said to be a small Moroccan-registered aircraft with an unknown number of passengers and crew. Recovery efforts continue in the isolated region.

About Afghanistan's Badakhshan

Badakhshan is bisected by the mighty Hindu Kush range, home to Afghanistan's tallest peak. Flight accidents are not uncommon in Afghanistan's rugged northern provinces given the lack of infrastructure.