March 7, 1999
Web posted at: 3:13 a.m. EST (0813 GMT)

NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- An Indian Air Force plane crashed in the New Delhi suburb of Pappankalan Sunday, killing everyone on board, according to local police.

At least 16 people, including those on the plane and people on the ground, were killed, and at least six were injured, police said, in an early report. Authorities noted that the figures may be revised as an investigation continues.

The Russian-built Antonov AN-32 aircraft suddenly veered off its landing path and crashed into a concrete water tank near several huts and small houses, according to news reports in India.

The plane, which is capable of carrying 16 people, was arriving from Gwalior in central India when it crashed about two kilometers (1.5 miles) from the airport, Press Trust of India reported.

The plane was left embedded in the water tank, with only its tail visible. A witness said it had clipped a brick boundary wall as it neared the ground.

While ambulances waited nearby, police sought to control a crowd of hundreds of people who gathered at the crash site.

Press Trust said the plane was cleared for landing at 8:12 a.m. (0242 GMT) Sunday when it suddenly disappeared from the radar screen, crashed and caught fire.

The cause of the crash was not known. Rescuers were searching for the flight data recorder.

It was the second air accident in three days in India.

On Friday, an Air France cargo plane crash-landed in the southern city of Madras. The plane burned, but only one of the five-member crew was injured.

The New Delhi airport, which handles international, domestic and military flights, was closed to all traffic.

CNN producer Nandini Kochar in New Delhi and The Associated Press contributed to this report.