Indian military plane missing over Bay of Bengal with 29 on board

A spokesman for India's defense ministry says the aircraft can go for four hours without refueling

The Indian Air Force Antonov-32 has gone missing over the Bay of Bengal (TAUSEEF MUSTAFA/AFP/Getty Images)

The Indian Air Force says it has lost contact with a transport plane with 29 people on board over the Bay of Bengal.

The Antonov-32 took off from Chennai (Madras) in southern India at 8.30am local time and was scheduled to land in the coastal city of Port Blair, capital of the Andaman and Nicobar islands, at 11.30am.

The flight, covering 1,375 kilometers (854 miles), was supposed to last three hours but there was no contact for nearly three hours beyond its arrival time.

Indian air force spokeman Anupam Banerjee told reporters that the last communication from the aircraft was about 15 minutes after take-off.

Nitin Wakanker, a spokesman for India's defense ministry, said the Russian-made aircraft could go for four hours without refueling.

The flight was supposed to last three hours but there was no contact for nearly three hours beyond its arrival time.

A massive search by the air force, navy and coast guard has been launched.